Remnants of the Old Blood
by World of Chronicles
Summary: Its a shame really. Remnant seems to have forgotten all about it's past. They build their kingdoms and mold their hunters. All in efforts to beat the Grimm. Well. Maybe its time that they are given a Grimm reminder. How can you hunt a Grimm, when you're a Grimm yourself?
1. The Beginning

**AN: Hello fellow hunters! I am Chronicles, The First Hunter. LOL! Looks like you have taken an interest in my story. Hopefully the first chapter will peek your interest even more. I wanted to get this out there before Vol.4 comes out. Bear in mind that this story STARTS OFF one day before the events of RWBY.** **Grab some popcorn, call in sick, prop your feet up, and enjoy!**

 **Discalmer: I do not own RWBY nor Bloodborne. The former belongs to Rootster Teeth and Monty Oum. May he rest in peace. The latter belongs to the people of From Software.**

* * *

It is the afternoon at a ruined abandoned city somewhere in the kingdom of Vail. Like any old abandoned ruined city, the area is dead silent, creating an eerie atmosphere. The sight of the crumbled and ruined buildings and empty streets tied in with the sad and depressing scenery. Making one wonder how the city use to looked back in its glory days before it fell. The one thing that stuck out the most is the lack of life in the ruined city. There are no animals nor plants in the city. Its like mother natural never did looked upon this city.

Through the silence, the sounds of gunshots, weapons slashing through their targets, and the monstrous cries of Grimm echoed through out the city.

A girl with long blond curly hair jumped from the rooftop of a nearby building. She has on a black hooded cloak with tattered cloths at look akin to crowfeathers, like the feathers on the hunter of hunters, Eileen the Crow. She has on a crow mask and she didn't have her hood on, allowing her hair to flow out. As she is falling, she grabbed onto a light post with both of her hands and used the momentum to swing herself to another nearby light post, which she landed safely on top of.

She has on a pair of black and yellow gauntlets that reaches up to her elbows and a long black rectangular metallic case glowing with lines of blue hanging just below her back by two black straps. Her clothes can't be seen due to her crowfeathered cloak covering her body. The girl took off her crow mask and swiped the sweat from her forehead.

She looked to be in her mid-teens. She has light brown skin, her eyes are ember red which her eye lids are a little slanted and finely arched eyebrows. As said before, she has long curly blond hair that reaches down to her mid-back and a few strands of hair that sticks up at the top of her head and curves kinda like an antenna. Bangs hung down on both side of her face. One a little longer than the other. She is around 5'4 in height.

The blond pulled out a golden chalice she is carrying. "Well, that was easy." She said, tossing it up and catching it as she gazed upon it. "If this doesn't open anything new, then I'm selling it. I wonder how much its worth?"

Just then, the girl heard a beastly shriek from above her. Her ember red eyes looked up to see a black werewolf-like creature, whose face looks like a skull of some sort, jumping out of a window and coming down toward her.

"Uh-oh. I forgot we were still playing." With that, she put the chalice back under her cloak and jumped off the light post and onto the street, avoiding the Grimm as it clawed the light post in half. The Grimm let out another beastly roar at the blond, not happy that it missed it's prey.

The blond placed her hands on her hips and leaned slightly forward with a playful grin on her face. "Aw. You want some more of Elisa? Then come and get it Grimmy." The blond named Elisa said in a cheery voice, taunting the Grimm. Being successfully provoked, the werewolf Grimm charged at Elisa, who also charged in return.

The Grimm stood up on it's hind legs and sent a swap with it's claw in a attempt to take her head off, only to hit air since Elisa easily ducked it. All that is heard next is Elisa pounding her gauntlets together and saying these words. "Ding! Ding! Ding!" Before the Grimm could guess what is going to happen, Elisa began punching the Grimm from jaw to torso with rapid succession. Not only is she punching but also kicking, elbowing, and kneeing. Elisa then vanished into a black mist as the Grimm did another swap to stop her.

Elisa reappeared in the air behind the Grimm and delivered a spinning heel drop to the head, causing the Grimm to cry out in pain. She continued disappearing and reappearing, attacking the Grimm from all directions. Keeping it off balance. Finally appearing in front of the disoriented Grimm, Elisa got into a stance and reared back her right hand. "See ya!" With that said, she dove her hand in the Grimm's torso, performing a visceral attack, and ripped her hand out causing blood to gust out in the process.

The werewolf Grimm fell on it's back, motionless.

"Oh, I just love doing Visceral attacks! Its so much fun!" Elisa squealed in a cheery and giddy tone. While she is fangirling over the visceral attack she pulled off, she failed to notice three more Grimm sneaking up behind her. All three of them jumped in the air, readying their fangs and claws to tear her apart.

"Huh?" Elisa looked back to see three Grimm coming at her from above. Elisa dropped a sweat. "Aw crap!"

Suddenly, a flash of red appeared, cutting the three Grimm clean in half. Elisa smiled, knowing what that red flash was. She looked to see another female, around the height of 5'6, standing on top of a light post, also wear a black hooded crowfeathered cloak and a crow mask. Like Elisa, this female didn't wear her hood, allowing her long wild raven black hair, which reaches down to her lower back, hang out.

The female took off her crow mask, revealing her face. She looked to be in her late teens. She has pale white skin, black eyes, and finely arched eyebrows. The bang of her hair covered her left eye. She is carrying a Murasama blade in a black sheath on her left side.

"Thanks Rize!" Elisa waved to the girl named Rize.

Rize gave a smile. "You're welcome little sis. But remember, those count as three more kills for me." She said in a cheery voice of her own. This made the smile on Elisa's face fade, replacing it with a irritated look and a twitching eyebrow. Elisa and Rize are half siblings. They have the same mom, but different dads. Even though they are not blood sisters, they still see each other as siblings. Like typical siblings, the two started a contest to see who can hunt and kill the most Grimm while they are searching of the chalice.

"Those shouldn't count! I was about to become Grimm food!" Elisa shouted out at her sister in anger. Rize only chuckled that her sister's attitude. "Oh please Elisa. You could've easily gotten out of that." Rize said as she dropped down from the light post and walked up to Elisa.

 _'I have to get her to drop those kills!'_

 _'She can't fool me into dropping these kills.'_

"Thats not fair Rize! My life was in danger! You can't count kills from that!" Elisa argued.

"You're trying to get me to discard my kills by saying that you were in danger, but in reality you were too slow. You tell me who isn't being fair?" Rize said to her little sister with another smile.

"Rize!" Elisa growled. Just then, a six pack of werewolf Grimm appeared and surrounded the sisters. "Alright then. How about this pack will decide who wins." Elisa said, getting in her fighting stance.

Rize smirked. "Sounds like a good idea." She pulled out her murasama blade from its sheath and held it out with one hand, pointing it at the Grimm. The blade is about 7ft long. The blade is red and the handle is black. "Are you thirsty? Chikage: The Bloodedge?" Rize said the name of her red murasama blade.

Elisa reached back to her black rectangular metallic case. The case opened to reveal the handle of a weapon. Pulling it out, it revealed to be a long gun shaped weapon. It's color is black, it had two guns handles, one is black with silver lines running down the middle and the other is sliver with red lines on the edges. It seems to have what looks like markings engraved on it.

Rize raised an eyebrow. "You're not gonna fight this with your bare hands like you normally do?"

"Nah. We need to cut their numbers down as soon as possible before it gets out of hand." Elisa said as she swung the weapon out, watching the gun transform into a blade before her very eyes. The two gun handles merged into one handle for the hilt of the blade. The blade is forged into a weird form. The bottom of the blade started to curve slightly to the right but then started to take the shape of a flame, a black flame. Markings are also engraved on it.

Rize nodded. "Yeah, you do have a point there. Things can become really troublesome if their numbers grow too big." Rize readied herself. With that, the pack of Grimm charge in from all directions.

"Here they come Elisa."

"Yeah!"

Before they could do anything, they suddenly heard a male voice shout out. "Get away from my sisters you bastards!" Soon after that, a young man came spinning down from above with a scythe, cleaving all six of the werewolves in half. The young man landed in front of the two girls. Like the girls, he has on the black crowfeathered hooded cloak. But unlike them, he has his hood on along with his crow mask.

"Thank you big brother!" Both the sisters cheered in unison. The young man sweat dropped underneath his mask. He stood up and took off his mask and hood. He has pale white skin and black colored eyes like Rize. His black hair looked like he had a bit of a bed head and he also has a bandage wrapped around his forehead. He is 6'1 in height.

Now resting his scythe on his shoulder, he turned to look at the girls. "You guys really love getting yourself in these kinds of situations, don't you?"

"What can we say Kazato? We're hunters. We thrive in situations like these." Rize told her brother with a cheeky smile. Kazato and Rize are related by blood. So Kazato is also Elisa's half brother.

Elisa crossed her arms and nod her head in agreement with her sister. "Uh-huh"

Kazato only shook his head and chuckled. _'Thrill seekers to the end. I guess they've completely forgotten one of the things hunters should NOT do. Neither Claire nor Saya would be happy if they saw that.'_ "Anyway, I believe I've killed the most Grimm today."

"Bullshit!" Elisa exclaimed. "You can't just decide like that!"

"Okay then. How many packs have you killed today? I've killed five, including the ones I just killed makes my fifth one." Kazato announced his kill count.

"Five" Both of the girls said in unison. It is a tie. "Wha- A tie?" Elisa blinked surprised.

"We can worry about a rematch later. Right now we should heading-" Before Rize could finish her sentence, the ground underneath them began the shake violently. "W-What the-" Elisa started.

"It feels like something is moving underneath us." Kazato said as the shaking got stronger and stronger. Suddenly, something busted out of the concert street, creating a huge dust cloud a few meters away from them. Due to the dust cloud, they couldn't see what came out of the street. All they can hear is a loud hissing sound that put them on guard even more.

"What is making that hissing sound?" Kazato said to himself, unaware of what might happen next.

Suddenly, something large bolted out of the dust cloud and towards the three siblings.

"Huh?!"

"What?!"

"What the hell?!"

The three siblings barely managed to jump out of way. Elisa jumping to the left. Kazato and Rize jumping to the right. The mysterious creature struck the ground as it passed, creating a long dust cloud.

"What the hell was that?" Kazato coughed for some of the dust got in his lung, getting back on his feet. He then looked towards his sister who is beside him. "Rize, are you okay?"

"Yeah" Rize cough as she got back on her feet as well. Then she realized something, their missing someone. "Elisa? Where is Elisa?"

"Elisa?" Kazato looked around for her but couldn't catch sight of her. "Dammit! Elisa! Where are you?!" Kazato called out to his youngest sister.

"I'm on the other side of the dust cloud! I'm fine! Are you guys okay!" Elisa shouted back.

"Yeah, we are! Hold on, I'm coming to get you!" Kazato started to run off into the dust cloud, but Rize grabbed his hand to stop him. "Rize, what are you-"

"Don't go in that dust cloud Kazato" Rize told hom. Kazato only gave her a look. "You'll see when it clears." Soon after that is said, the dust cloud did clear up. When it did, it revealed a huge long gap in the ground separating them from Elisa.

"See. If I'd let you go. You would've fallen in." Rize told her brother.

Suddenly, a loud screech is heard, the creature is coming back.

"Everyone! To the rooftops!" Kazato yelled. With that said Elisa vanished into a black mist as Kazato and Rize turned into a flock of crows. All three of them reappeared on a rooftop of a building not far from the creature. Now that they have a better view, they are able to see what this thing is. It's body is long and black and it's face also looked like a skull with red lines. It is a Grimm, a giant centipede!

"Is that a centipede?" Elisa squinted her eyes trying to get a better look.

"Looks like it. Its an Death Crawler." Rize confirmed for her sister.

The gigantic centipede crashed and thrashed as it ran through out the city, making it more ruined than what it already is.

"For something so big why is it so damn fast? Its like a freight damn train." Kazato said as he watched the centipede Grimm rampage through the city.

"Its the legs?" Rize answered him which she received a 'huh?' look from Kazato.

"The centipede doesn't have that many legs. The fewer legs it has, the faster it is. The more legs it has..."

"The slower it is huh?" Kazato finished, showing that he understood. "Rize. What class is that Death Crawler in? A class? B class?"

Rize only shrugged her shoulders. "I'm not entirely sure. I think its somewhere along in there." Elisa put her hand on her hip as she watched the gigantic Grimm. "So how do we fight this thing without getting ran over. Its not only the teeth we have to watch out for, it uses it's legs as a weapon too." Elisa pointed out to some of the buildings that have deep marks from the centipede's legs.

"Yeah, I noticed that. I've been trying to think of a plan the whole time. I would say cut off it legs to slow it down. But with the way that thing is moving, that is easier said than done. Its too risky." Kazato said. _'I know Rize and I can attempt it, but I'm not sure about Elisa. I know she can take on D and C class Grimm, but...'_

Seeing how things are going, only one solution came to Rize's mind. "Well. If we're gonna do that, then there is only one thing we can do to increase our chances."

Elisa looked that her, eyes filled with thrill and excitement. "Really?! We're gonna do that!" She gasped, excitement clearly in her voice.

Rize gave a smirk and chuckle, feeling her own excitement boiling up inside. "Thats riiiight. We're gonna call on the power of our Grimm."

"Hm. Doesn't sound like a bad idea." Kazato said with a grin of his own. "Alright, let's do it!"

"Oh, this is going to be awesome!" Elisa squealed.

"Don't get too carried away Elisa. Or else you will become a Grimm." Rize told her little sister.

"Wow. Pot meets kettle sis." Kazato scoffed with a smart remark. With that, all three of them took a deep breath, closing their eyes. Connecting with their inner Grimm. As they concentrated, they could feel a dark presence welling up inside them. A black mist began to emitted from their bodies. Black lines that look akin to cracks appeared on their face, underneath their eyes. Their teeth became sharp like fangs. When they opened their eyes it is now a different color. The white of their eyes are black, their irises are red and their pupils are slit. Like the eyes of a Grimm!

"Fuck'em up" Is all that Kazato said as he and Rize disappeared into a flock of crows and Elisa dropped down from the rooftop and landed in the path of the centipede.

With a grin on her face, the black mist began to cover Elisa's arms with some kind of second skin. The skin is black with red glowing lines that look akin to blood vessels that look as if they're flowing which lava. With that, she caught the gigantic Grimm with her hands, stopping it cold.

"Oh that felt so awesome!" Elisa squealed to herself. Instead of trying to back away from the blond, the Death Crawler began to observe her with confusion and curiosity. _'Aw. It thinks I'm one of them.'_

A few feet away, Rize is running toward the centipede. She pulled her Chikage out of its sheath just a bit so that it's red blade is showing. With that, she cut the tip of her thumb. "My sword. Drink my blood." Doing as it is told, her Chikage took the blood she offered into it's sheath, drinking it. "Now. **BloodCain!** " She called out, pulling out her blade in one swift motion as she cut three of the Grimm's legs, her Chikage coursing with blood. "Chikage: The Bloodedge. Drink the blood of this Grimm. **Blood Rapture!** " She called out. The blood bleeding from the centipede began to travel to Rize's sword, making her blade sharper. She cut leg after leg as she ran along the Grimm's body.

The centipede let out a shriek of pain. Feeling it's legs being cut off and it's strength being drained. Still having it in her grip, Elisa delivered an upper cut to the Grimm, sending its head upwards. "See ya!"

"Whoohoo!" Kazato came down from above, spinning with his Burial Blade in scythe form, covered with a black mist. "The End!" He sent a downward slash, decapitating it's head. He landed beside Elisa. "Oh yeah! Piece of cake!" Both of them shouted in unison, giving each other a high five.

Just then, the other half of the centipede's body began to move, startling the two. The other end rose up, it is a second head! "Wait a minute? Thats cheating! centipedes don't have two heads!" Elisa shouted.

Before the second head could do anything, Rize dropped from above and struck it's head with her Chikage. Her ran down it's back with her sword cutting it's body in half as she did. She jumped off and landed in front of her siblings, her sword still coursing with blood. The gigantic centipede fell in half, it's body fading away in a black mist. "And thats a wrap." Rize smirked.

With the battle finally being over, the siblings eye reverted back to normal.

"Nice one sis" Kazato praised his sister on the finishing move. Elisa crossed her arms and pouted a little. "Aw man. I could've done that."

Suddenly the sounds of someone clapping can be heard behind them. When they turned around, they saw a woman who looked to be in her early to mid twenties. and is 5'6 in height. She has long wild raven black hair that reaches down to her lower back like Rize's. She has pale white skin, a slender build, and red slanted eyes with finely arched eyebrows. She has on the same black crowfeathered hooded cloak but she didn't have her crow mask. She too has a murasama blade on her left which is also a Chikage. And she has the Cainhurst pistol, Evelyn on her right side.

"That was one helluva show. I expected nothing less from my babies." She praised them with a smile.

Elisa's eyes grew wide when she saw who the woman is. "Mom!" She ran and tackled her mother a hug which the woman responded with a hug of her own. "Whoa! Getting a little rough with the hugs there, aren't you my little Elisa?"

Rize walked over to her mother and little sister. "Watching us from afar away again mom? You love watching us struggle, don't you?" Rize said with a greeting smile to her mother. Her mother gave her a kid-like smile. "Well you got me there Rize. What? Is wanting to see how much my babies have grown is now a crime? Also, I see that you're enjoying the use of blood more and more. You really are a chip off the old block."

Rize only shook her head as she chuckled. "Well, you have point there." She said as she joined in on the hug. Everyone is in on the hug, except Kazato, who is standing a few feet away with his arms crossed and a grin on his face.

The woman noticed this. "What are you doing standing over there acting all cool? I know you want a piece of me. So get over here."

Kazato blushed and turned his back to her with his arms still crossed. "N-No I don't." He said with embarrassment clearly in his voice. "I'm growing up, I don't need to be hugged up under my you." He said to his mother.

"Rize and Elisa don't seem to have a problem with that."

"Thats them mom. I'm not the mama's boy I use to be, ya'know."

"Is that right? Well I'm hurt to hear that from my first born. I still remember like it was yesterday when you use to sleep with me up until you were seve-"

"Not listening!" Kazato put his hands over his ears, trying to shut her our. He never did like it when his mom brings up stuff he use to do as a kid. The woman gave a nod to both of her daughters and snuck up on the unaware Kazato. "Oh shut up and get over there." The woman suddenly jumped on Kazato's back, wrapping her arms around his neck and pinching hid cheeks.

Kazato's eye went wide and start flaying his arm. "Ow! Ow! Mom let go!" Soon after Rize and Elisa joined in on the hug, sandwiching their older brother. "Oh come on! Not you two! Get the hell off me guys!"

Just then, two people wearing crowfeathered cloaks appeared in front of the family. One of them is a woman who looks to be in her early to mid twenties and is 5'5 in height. She has pale white skin, long sliverish white hair that reaches to her lower back, finely arched eyebrows with red slanted eyes. On her left side she has the Blade of Mercy and the hunter's pistol on her right.

The person next to her is a man who also looks to be in his twenties and is 6'2 in height. He also has white skin but with a bit more color. He has short blond hair with a thin beard and dark blue eyes. On his back he has a Burial Blade that looks identical to Gehrman's.

"I figured you would be here with my students Scarlet, which is why you haven't reported in immediately after your previous assignment." The sliver haired woman said in a stern tone.

Scarlet rubbed the back of her head with a sweat drop. "Oh right. About that Saya-"

Saya held up her hand to stop Scarlet. "You can explain later. I apologize for interrupting your family time, but we have a important matter to discuss." She then brought her attention to the kids. "I see that you three are still alive and well, especially her." She motioned towards Elisa.

 _'Oh crap! Its Saya!'_ All three of the sibling thought in unison as they stood at attention. Saya couldn't help but smirk at their reaction towards her. "I trust you three are keeping the teachings from Claire and myself in mind." The three siblings all nodded.

"Where is my response?" Saya then gave them a stern look.

"Yes ma'ma!"

"Hey. What about me? I trained them too." The blond haired man said in a British accent, feeling felt out. Thats when the kids noticed him.

"Uncle Edward!" The girls shouted. Elisa and Rize would normally rush to hug him. But since Saya is there, they decide it's best that they contain that impulse.

"Hey uncle Ed." Kazato said with a greeting smile but never took his eyes off of Saya.

"Hey kids. I see that you're still getting yourself in trouble with the Grimm." Edward said with a greeting smile of his own. Edward isn't really their uncle. In fact, he is not even related to Scarlet or any of the kids dads. He has been around them for so long that he felt like a family member to them.

"Hey uncle." Kazato called out. "When can I get my hands on that siderite material so I can finally forge my own Burial Blade. This weapon sucks." He motioned to the some what Burial Blade on his back. Even though it can transform from a curve sword to a scythe, it still doesn't measure up to the original Burial Blade wielded by Gehrman or any of the other scythe weapons modelled after it. It doesn't have that special material.

"I know you're not being picking over you weapons Kazato." Came a British female voice from the kids, which startled them. Making them tenser than before. The kids look behind them to see a woman with rosy red hair that reaches to her middle back, white skin, seemingly growing purple eyes, and rosy red finely arched eyebrows standing behind them. She has on the same cloak as the rest and is 5'6 in height. Out of everyone. She seems to have the most weapons in her arsenal. She two guns, one on each side. One is black and has the words 'Elegant Death' craved in cursive on them and the other is sliverish white that has 'Elegant Life" carved on it. She has throwing knives strapped to her right thigh, a whip on her left side, and lastly the weapon passed down in her family from Lady Maria, the Rakuyo, which is on her right side.

Claire gave Kazato a stern look which made him shiver. _'Whats up with members of the brotherhood appearing out of nowhere. Seriously, we need to put a bell on them.'_ Kazato thought. Claire, Saya, and sometimes Edward would train the kids on how to hunt Grimm whenever Scarlet is away on assignments.

"He has a point Cherry Rose." Scarlet said, gaining a look from Claire that says 'Don't call me that again!'. "Without that special material, he won't be able to take down the toughest of Grimm with that." Edward nodded in agreement. "Shes right Cherry Rose." He said that last part on purpose with a childish grin.

Claire shot him a glare and then sighed. "I know, but my families business, Arcana Industries, just don't have any siderite in stock at the moment. That mineral is hard to come by. Especially since we're currently at conflict with the Schnee family. I'm sorry Kazato, but you'll be stuck with that weapon for a little while longer. Kazato let out a small growl of irritation. "I wish I could get my hands on a real Burial Blade as soon as possible."

"Be careful what you wish for bro. You might get it." Rize told him.

"Pfft" Is Kazato's only response to that. Edward walked up to his _nephew,_ threw his arm around him and ruffled his hair. Much to Kazato's dislike. "Come on, cheer up lad. You'll get one eventually. I'll tell you what. If something were to happen to me on one of my hunts, my Burial Blade will be passed down to you." He jokingly said with an idiot smile.

"Idiot!"

"Moron!"

"Stupid!"

Saya, Claire, and Scarlet all punched Edward in the head for the comment he made. "OW!" Edward place his hands on the top of his head. "What the bloody hell was that for?!"

"Uncle Edward. With the kind of world we live in, you shouldn't be wagering your life like that." Rize told him. Elisa nodded. "What if it really happens, then what?"

"It was suppose to be a bloody joke!" Edward said in defense.

Scarlet only shook her head. "Anyway. Rize. Kazato. Elisa. Head on back home, I'll meet you there."

Elisa nodded obediently. "Yes ma'am. Hey Rize. Kazato. I'll race you back home. Winner gets-".

"You better hurry up slow poke!" Rize's cheery voice came from the top of a building with a mopping Kazato next to her.

"What the hell! That cheating!" With that, Elisa ran and climbed up the building their are on and chased after them.

"Now, down to business. What is this important matter you wanted to talk to me about."

"Well your majesty. We have just received two assignments from the brotherhood." Edward started off, causing Scarlet to raise an eyebrow in curiosity. "Oh? Two assignments? That hasn't happened in awhile. Okay, let's hear'em."

"Well. First, we're hunting a huntsmen who we believe is on the verge of turning Grimm." Edward continued on. Now Scarlet's curiosity is rapidly starting to overwhelm her. "A huntsmen going Grimm?! Has he become drunk with blood from hunting?" Scarlet ran up to Edward and grabbed his collar. "Don't just stand there Edward! Tell me more!" _'Will this be like the night of the hunt in Yarhnam again?'_

Wide red eyes filled with excitement meeting dark blue surprised eyes. "Okay love. Just calm down for a bit."

Claire and Saya only sighed. They knew she would get like this when they tell her about the huntsmen. Which is why they made Edward tell her.

 _'She truly is a Child of Blood.'_ Claire thought, shaking her head. Saya shook her head as well. _'A Vileblood indeed.'_

"The target is east of Vail. He is apparently mentally unstable. More than likely its due to trauma and stress which will soon lead to bloodlust." Saya informed the giddy Vileblood female. "He is far beyond help and must be hunted before he causes harm to innocents, other huntsmen and huntresses." Saya doesn't seemed troubled that they have to go hunt a fellow hunter. No one is.

"As for the second assignment." Claire carried on with the briefing, gaining Scarlet's attention.

* * *

It is now night time in the Kingdom of Vail. The moonlight from the shattered moon shun brightly upon a small shady town. The town's cobblestone streets are dimly lite by the street lamps, luckily the moonlight provided most of the light. The town itself doesn't look all that presentable. Boarded up houses, buildings in need of serious repair and remodelling. Not only is the appearance of the town look shady, it's residences are also shady themselves. The town has its share of thieves, black market and drug dealers, prostitutes, and...fallen huntsmen.

The town's tavern is where most go to have their fun and have a few drinks. And a few equals a lot in this tavern. Drunken fights take place which usually lead to someone getting killed. Gambles also take place here along with men, drunk or sober, looking for a nice piece of tail to take somewhere and have some fun. The tavern is dimly lite and the air is filled with cigar smoke.

Sitting that the bar of the Tavern, we find Qrow Branwen. Enjoying himself a small glass of bourbon. "Is that all? You sure there is nothing else?" Qrow said to the a slightly buff, bald head bartender who is cleaning a glass cup. This particular bartender is one of Qrow's many connections to the criminal underworld and this guy usual has the information and tips Qrow is looking for. But this time, things are different.

"Sorry Qrow, but thats all I'm able to find. Whoever it is you're trying to find really knows how to cover their tracks." The bartender said, setting the glass cup down and started cleaning another.

"I see" Is all Qrow said as he took a sip of his bourbon. Qrow winced a little and coughed, feeling the drink slightly burn down his esophagus. "Thats some good stuff."

"I would tell you to go ask Junior but after hearing what happened to him recently, I'm not so sure about that." The bartender cracked a smirk which Qrow noticed. "What happened?"

"What? You did hear? Junior almost had his balls crushed by some random blond."

"Random Blond?" Qrow raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah. They say she is about this tall with long blond curly hair, blue eyes, and had gauntlets that shot bullets or something every time she punches. Not only did she drop junior, she also wrecked the entire club.

Immediately recognizing the description, Qrow only chuckled and shook his head. _'Sounds like Yang is stirring up trouble.'_

While the two are talking, a man wearing a black trench coat with a black and red tattered cape, a black hat, a dirty scurf, grayish pants, and brown boots is sitting two chair away from Qrow. The man has his head hung over his drink, repeatedly muttering something to himself. His grip on his drink got tighter and tighter until it shattered, gaining Qrow's and the bartender's attention.

"Dammit! What the fuck is it with people breaking my damn cups!" The bartender said in anger.

The man then got up looking a bit off balance, drug his hand across the counter leaving money and blood from his bleeding hand. With that, he staggered out towards the door, licking the blood from his hand until a drunk man bummed into him.

"Hey! Watch where the fuck you're going!" The drunk man said in his slurred speech. The man stopped and looked that him, his bleeding hand still up to his mouth. "What? You gotta problem? You wanna fight?" Drunken man said aloud. Everyone in the tavern noticed this and stopped to witness the fight.

"Hey, whats the deal with him." Qrow asked the bartender about the man.

"I don't know. Hes just some huntsmen who came in here. He kept muttering something to himself the whole time. I just left him alone." The Bartender told Qrow. "Hey! If you're gonna fight then take it outside! Ya'll broken enough shit in my tavern anyway."

Ignoring the bartender, the drunken man kept at it, pushing the man. "What are you going to do? I'm a huntsmen. I can easily kill your-" Suddenly the man let out a inhuman yell as he hit the drunken man in the torso with a visceral attack, jabbing his bleeding right hand in the drunken man's torso. The man let out another inhuman yell as he ripped his hand out of the drunken man's body, breaking his spine causing a sickening snap to fill the tavern along with covering himself and others in blood. The drunken man's fell to the ground.

People in the tavern screamed with terror clearly on their faces by what they just witnessed.

"WHAT THE HELL!" Qrow jumped from his sit, completely caught off guard by what he saw. The bartender on the other hand is speechless from shock. Now covered in blood, the man staggered out of the tavern. Knowing that a person like this wondering around is bad news, Qrow chased after him.

 **AN: A Dark tension song on Youtube to set the mood: Dark Tension Rising music (Download and Royalty FREE)**

When he got outside the tavern, the man is nowhere in sight. "Damn! Where did he go?" A thin fog had rolled in, tying in with the already dim and gloomy town. Qrow then noticed a trail of bloody footprints heading east of the town. Suddenly he hears a loud terrified scream coming from that direction, which he took off running towards . Qrow then came across a crying woman clinching the lifeless body of a male Faunus, whose neck is broken.

"What happened here?" Qrow asked the terrified and crying woman.

"W-We didn't do anything wrong! We were just kissing until...until...a man covered in blood just came out of nowhere and...and snapped his..." The woman balled over the male Faunus's's dead body, eyes flood with tears. "He kept saying something about a...a beast!"

Qrow's expressions frowned. What the hell is this guy's problem? "Which way did he go?" He then asked her. He has to find this guy before he kills someone else.

"H-He went towards the old cemetery." The woman pointed out into the distance.

 _' The old cemetery huh?'_ With that, Qrow gave a nod before proceeding on. Finally, he got to the old abandon cemetery that is just on the edge of the town. The place is filled with old cracked tombstones, dead trees and the ground is filed with dead grass and weeds. Dimly lite lamp posts poorly lite the area, but the moonlight gave the most light.

As Qrow walked in, he scanned the area, seeing no sign of the man. That is until he sees a figure out in the distance, with the faint sound of them hitting something. Silently, Qrow got closer and closer until the sound got louder and the stench of blood hit his nose. When he got close enough, Qrow noticed that it is the man from the Tavern and he is hacking away at someone or something with a Axe. Qrow can now here the man's breathing as he swung down his axe, butchering his victim. The man sensed Qrow's presence behind him and gave one final swing before stopping, sounding a bit out of breath.

"Grimm are all over the place." He said as he slowly turned around to face Qrow, with the Hunter's Axe in his right hand and a shotgun in his left. "You'll become one of them. Sooner or later."

Qrow raised an eyebrow in confusing. "Sooner or later? What the hell are you talking abou-" Before he could finish his question, the blood covered huntsmen latched out at Qrow. Lunging at him with his Hunter's Axe.

 **Ending song on Youtube: "scaPEGoat" Seraph of the End (English Cover by Y. Chang)**

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 **AN: Thank for reading everyone! I hope you enjoyed! Please show your support and leave a review. I don't usually include music with my stories but its something new I'm trying out.**

 **Yes, the Vilebloods live on and Queen Annalise's Child of Blood is born. To be more accurate, Scarlet is a direct descendent for the queen and she is a Child of Blood. Before I even knew about the Vilebloods, I've already created Scarlet based around blood. So it fits perfectly. The same goes with Claire. On the surface her family is a high class ,or royal as some might call it, family. But underneath, their made up of assassin's and beast hunters. When I saw Bloodborne, it fit her completely. So I thought, why not make her related to Lady Maria. I love her boss fight!**

 **Also, I know that the Chikage is called the Cainhurst Chikage, and that its an katana. I think that it'll be more appealing, appearance wise, that it is a red murasama blade like Raven's sword or Jet Stream Sam's sword from Metal Gear Rising.**

 **Oh yeah. Raven will appear in the next chapter. Even she is a mysterious character right now, until Vol.4 that is, I'm going to portray her the way I think she might be based on what we've seen and what Qrow said about her.**

 **Thanks for reading. This is Chronicles calling it a wrap.**


	2. The Black Wing Hunters

**AN: Welcome back Good Hunters! I want to start off that I'm sincerely sorry for the long wait. I recently got caught up in Jury Duty, but now its finished. Not only that, chapter two ended up being way longer than I expected because there were some things I wanted to put out there and explian. So I had on choice but to cut it into two chapters. I didn't want to torture you guys with a ridiculously long chapter. It'll be like forcing someone to eat a 20-foot sub non-stop.**

 **Also I want to thank Atthetop for the review on the first chapter. Thats the second time someone gave my a compliment like that and it really made my day and I also thank you for the advice. Oh and shout out to the Youtuber named Muffin Man Dan. His RWBY theory videos are a joy to watch and are one of the reasons why I began thinking of this story.**

 **Lastly, I've put in some things that will hopefully raise some eyebrows and bring up some questions. Also I want bring to your attention that chapters 2 & 3 contributes as one chapter and they will introduce some things. Also, there will be a few OCs in this chapter. You don't have to remember them all for the majority of them, except from two, are solely there to show that are more than one hunter. With further ado, let the hunt continue.**

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The huntsman yelled out of pure bloodlust as he lunged and swung his Hunter's Axe at Qrow. The Grimm within him is screaming for a taste of our red eyed huntsman's blood. Qrow ducked, dodged, and quickstepped the attacks from his adversary's aggressive onslaught. The huntsman continued to let out blood thirsty battle cries as he tirelessly went after Qrow.

Qrow is completely surprised by this huntsman's abnormally ruthless behavior. He'd seen his share of fallen huntsmen, but he never seen one like this. _'What the hell is this guy's problem?! He acts as if he has no shred of humanity in him!'_ Qrow thought. With his sword drawn out, he and the huntsman engaged in a deadly dance. Sword against Axe. Quicksliver bullets humming through the air as they bolt towards their targets. The bullets would often hit each other and ricochet off to different directions.

"You huntsmen and huntresses are suppose to be descendants of us?! You don't have the bloodlust to be called a hunter!" The huntsman shouted as he put his shotgun back in its hoister. Placing both hands on his Hunter's Axe, he extended the length of the weapon making it longer. A red and black mist started to emit from his body. Using speed abnormal for any man, the huntsman dashed towards Qrow and thrust his extended Axe at his head.

Qrow gritted his teeth for he only had mere seconds of react. He brought his sword up just in time to deflect the Axe but it still managed to nick his right cheek. Qrow kicked the huntsman in the stomach, causing him the hill over momentarily. Using this chance, Qrow dashed to the side and backstepped a few feet away from the crazed huntsman. Blood from his sticking bleeding right cheek ran down his face. Qrow reached up and touched his cheek with his hand, wincing in pain. Revealing blood on three of his finger tips.

"Argh! This is quickly getting out of hand. I have to find out how to-" Before Qrow could finish his sentence he started to notice a strange feeling welling up inside him as he looked at the blood. Little did he know, his red eyes started to glow. The feeling is hard for him to explain, but feels like the very sight of the blood makes his heart, soul, and being yearn for more. Its like it singing to him. Could it be bloodlust? No, it couldn't be. If it was, then he would be on a killing spree, butchering people and Grimm alike.

Before Qrow could even speculate what this strange feeling is, the crazed huntsmen charged at Qrow with his extended Axe, letting out another yell.

 _'Does this guy ever get tired?!'_ He though as he readied himself to take act. At the right time, Qrow dodged to his left the moment the huntsman swung his Axe. Qrow duck the huntsman's next attack as he passed by, and ended up behind him. The huntsman let out another yell as he spun around with the extended Axe.

"Damn!" Qrow swore out loud as he block the attack, but the impact from the huntsman's inhuman strength sent him flying and crashed through a tombstone. Ears now ringing and vision blurred, Qrow coughed and groaned in pain as he tried to recover himself. His back hurt like hell, but strangely...no broken bones? The impact of the attack sent him flying. And for him to crash through a tombstone means that he hit it with a bone breaking amount of force!

Qrow can feel the sever throbbing pain in his back melting away, as if it was nothing but a scratch. He then hears the blood thirsty yell from the crazed huntsman. With his vision finally clearing, Qrow saw the huntsman coming at him with an overhead strike with his extended Axe. With wide red glowing eyes, Qrow repeatedly rolled to his left, avoiding getting chopped in half. Immediately after the attack, the huntsman lunged at Qrow with another overhead strike as he is recovering to his feet.

Qrow sidestepped the attack, giving a yell of his own as he swings his sword and cut deep into the huntsman's right side. The huntsman let a scream of agonizing pain as he fell to the ground, dropping his weapon.

Qrow panted heavily as he stood over the huntsman's body. A pool of blood appearing underneath him, large enough the swallow the huntsman's body whole.

Suddenly, the huntsman's hand twitched, which put Qrow back on his guard. "T-That smell. What is that smell?" The huntsman began muttering as he started to get up from the blood covered ground. "Blood? Oh, Its blood!" A black and red mist emitted from his body once again but this time its darker and denser. The mist started to engulf the huntsman from head to toe. Before it fully engulfed him, the huntsman looked back at Qrow with his eyes now black and red. The eyes of a Grimm. "It...It sings to me..." Soon after those words, the huntsman is fully engulfed by the red and black mist. Shortly after, an unseen force suddenly knocked Qrow back. Causing him to skid as the mist burst out of nowhere.

Qrow shielded his face from the burst of air with his left arm. "Grr! What now?!" He then suddenly heard a loud beastly roar coming from within the mist. Soon after, the mist is blown away at the middle by the same unseen force from earlier. Now that the mist is gone, Qrow's eyes widened by what he saw in front of him. Standing in front of him is no longer a man, but a huge monsterous wolf-like Grimm with horns on both side of its head! Its a Beast Possessed Soul! The Grimm had the torn and tattered attire of the huntsman it use to be. Qrow can hear and see its breath in the cool night air with each breath it takes.

The moonlight shined upon it features, revealing it nightmarish face with piercing bloodshot red eyes. It's fangs glimpsed in the moonlight like a razor and its rough black fur blowing in the silent gentle wind.

Qrow's glowing red eyes are now wide with shock and a bit of horror after seeing what just happened. During all of his years as a huntsman, he never seen anything like this. Sure he has seen his share of messed up stuff, but this...this takes the cake.

The Grimm began sniffing the air, keeping up on Qrow's scent and turned it's attention towards Qrow.

"Not good." Qrow started to think of a strategy now how to deal with this Grimm. The Grimm let out a howl and jumped in the air. "What the?!" Qrow hurled himself out of the way to avoid getting crushed by the Grimm as it crashed into the ground. The Grimm relentlessly chased after Qrow, wildly and viciously attacking. Destroying any tombstones, trees, and lamp posts that is in it's path.

 _'I gotta keep moving. If I slip up even once, I'm good as dead.'_ Unfortunately, while Qrow is backstepping and evading, he failed to notice a tree behind him and back into it. "Damn!"

The Grimm lunged at its trapped prey, sending a claw to tear him apart. Luckily, Qrow is able to duck the claw as it breaks the top part of the tree and get around the Grimm. The Grimm turned around to see that the huntsman is nowhere in sight. Could he be hiding? Looking around, the Grimm relied on it's sense of smell, sniffing the air. Picking up on Qrow's scent, it looked up to the shadow of a man wielding a scythe in the moonlight of the scattered moon.

Qrow came down spinning with a slash that took out the Grimm's right eye and part of it's face. Blood splatters getting on Qrow's clothes. The Grimm screamed in pain as it turned around to claw Qrow in the back as he landed. But as soon as it did, Qrow sliced it's left arm off with his scythe, eyes still glowing red and strangely a small smile on his face. The Grimm cried in pain as it tried to crush Qrow flat with it's remaining arm, which Qrow easily did a quick step to avoid the crushing blow, ending up behind the Grimm, and slashed it in the back with his scythe. The Grimm hilled over in pain from the deep slash wound Qrow had inflicted.

Qrow then winded his scythe back, building up strength. With that, he released his scythe with a might swing that knocked the Grimm off it's feet. Qrow charged and lunged at the Grimm with a overhead strike, going for the final blow.

With a swift quick movement, the Grimm turned around and back handed, or back clawed, Qrow away from it. Sending him crashing through more tombstones. The first time he crashed through the tombstones he didn't receive any broken bones. But now since the huntsman is a monstrous Grimm, the results is different.

Qrow's expression grimaced as he sat up, leaning his back against a tombstone behind him. "Damn, that hurts." He groaned in pain as he placed his right hand on his left side. A few of his ribs are fractured along with his blood bleeding through his shirt. Looking up, he caught sight of the Grimm conjuring a fireball in it's right claw. This fight this keep surprising him more and more. "Since when...could a Grimm...do that?" Qrow winced in pain again as he tried to get up, but his injuries are preventing him to do so. "Ugh! Damn it."

Before the Grimm could throw the fireball to roast Qrow alive, a dark figure wielding a scythe bolted out of the shadows with incredible speed and slashed off the Grimm's other arm. The Grimm screamed in even more pain now that both of it's arms have been cut off.

"What was...?" The next thing Qrow notices is two women, one with long rosy red hair and the other with long silverish white hair, walked out on both sides of him. They too have the black crowfeathered cloak and crow masks on. Its Claire and Saya.

"Who...are you?" Qrow asked the mysterious women. Wincing in pain again as he tried to move, even when he breaths it hurts a little.

"You can rest easy fellow hunter. We'll finish it from here." Saya told Qrow with her back facing him.

Claire let a sympathetic sigh for the huntsman turned Grimm "It seems that another hunter has given in to their bloodlust. If only we caught him in time then he wouldn't have been in the sorry state he was in. I curse this world we live in."

"It couldn't be helped Claire. Besides, as cursed hunters, we have it far more difficult than anyone else." Saya told her, taking out her Blade of Mercy. Claire only let out another sigh before taking her whip off of her side.

The two took off towards the Grimm with Claire taking point. With a crack of her black whip, it tighten up transforming into a staff with bladed ends. As it's final and last attempt to defend itself, the Grimm tried to take a bit out of her with it's fangs. Claire quickstepped to the side, twirled her staff around, and hit the Grimm across the face causing it to stagger back.

Saya came running in with her Blade of Mercy, pulling it apart into two blades. Saya spun around while she is running and slashed the Grimm's right leg with both blades. The Grimm screamed in pain as it fell on one knee. Claire then vanished into a fog and appeared on a tree breach behind the Grimm. She used the Art of Quicken. Reverting her staff back into a whip, Claire wrapped the whip around the Grimm's neck and began to pull. Saya used this opportunity to take out the Grimm's other leg with a slash from her Blade of Mercy. Now that the Grimm is on both knees, Saya also used the Art of Quicken to appear next to Claire and pulled on the whip along with her.

"Edward!" Both of them called out. Soon after, a man wearing the same black hooded crowfeathered cloak and wearing a crow mask appeared just above the Grimm's head with his Burial Blade in scythe form.

"Cheerio!" Edward said in his British accent as he decapitated the Grimm. The Grimm's headless body fell to the ground, fading away in a black mist.

"Whoa" Is all Qrow said. Impressed at that how they managed to take down the Grimm he was having trouble with. Maybe the fight would've been a lot easier if he had some back up. But knowing Qrow and the territories he tread, its probably best that he fly solo. Wincing from the stinging pain of his wound, Qrow place his hand on his left side which is bleeding through his shirt. "Damn, this isn't good. Its getting worse." He started to reach for his scroll in his right pocket. "I know Glynda is going to give me the 'I told you so' speech."

As he is trying to get out his scroll, Qrow heard a pair of footsteps coming towards him. Looking up, he caught sight the rosy haired woman walking up to him. Even thou these people saved his skin he still couldn't let his guard down, they're still complete strangers that he doesn't know.

Claire saw that Qrow's body language tensed up. So to show that she is no threat, she held up both of her hands, keeping them away from her weapons. "Its alright. We pose no threat to you."

"Okay then. Who are you?" Qrow immediately shot the question.

"To put it simply. We're hunters, just like you."

"Hunters?" Qrow watched as Claire sat on her heels and lifted Qrow's shirt. Due to it being soaked with blood, it stuck to Qrow's skin and wound. Qrow can feel his shirt coming off his skin as if it were a piece of tape. He winced in pain when it got up to the left side of his ribs, his blood soaked shirt slightly pulling his damaged skin.

"How is he?" Came Saya's voice as she and Edward walked up beside Claire, seeing the badly injured Qrow.

Edward winced. "Ow! How are you still alive mate?" Edward said with concern for the fellow huntsman. Qrow only shrugged his shoulders slightly. "Beats me? I've been wondering that myself. Especially since I've been thrown through a few tombstones."

"More than that. You took a full on hit from a creature that is stronger than any normal Grimm." Saya stated, looking at his injuries. "No normal man would have survive that."

Claire nodded. "Aside for the other injures. Him seems to have multiple fractures on his rib cage. He should be struggling to breath right now."

Qrow raised an eyebrow at what Claire and Saya said. "What do you mean by _'normal'_? What did you mean when you said _'A creature stronger than any normal Grimm'_? What are you trying to say here?" Qrow wasn't getting any of this. He doesn't have the slightest idea of what their talking about. That was a Grimm he just fought, right? Well, considering that the Grimm used to be a man it would probably be something else. But then they said 'No normal man would have survive that.' What did they mean by that?

 _'I am human, right?'_ These thoughts raced around inside Qrow's mind. His train of thought is broken when he notice Claire reached underneath her cloak and pulling out a blood vial. "What is that? Is that...blood?" Qrow questioned with another raised eyebrow.

"I know this will sound revolting, but you have to drink this for your injures to heal." Claire told him. She tgen began to feel a sensation from the huntsman, like some kind of vibe. Something that she is familiar with. _'_ _This feeling. Its the same feeling I sense whenever I'm around Scarlet or those of her kind. There is only one way to verify this. Depending on how his body reacts to blood. I'll know for sure if he too has their blood running through his veins. Just like me.'_ She started to bring the blood vial to Qrow's mouth, which he shook his head rejectingly.

"What are you, crazy? I'm not drinking blood. What do you think I am? Some sort of vampire?"

"You don't have much of a choice." Claire told him. Her voice taking command. "Are you really planning to die right here in this graveyard so the crows can peck at your eyes?" She looked him dead in his eyes. Seemingly glowing purple eyes making contact with seemingly red glowing eyes. Or rather, eyeholes of a crow mask meeting red eyes. _'His eyes. I can see it.'_

"Do you believe in afterlife, huntsman?" Saya crossed her arms with her voice breaking the silence. As a result, Qrow only gave her a weird look. "If so, then we might as well leave you here. I hope that the afterlife you go to is the one you desire."

"You might wanna go ahead and do it mate. Unless you've given up on this world." Edward said to him.

Qrow looked that them both with a confused expression. _'Afterlife?'_ He then brought his attention back to Claire who is still looking at him with the blood vial. _'I can't believe I'm going to do this.'_ "Alright, fine. I'll do it." At this point his entire body fills sluggish, its getting a little hard to breath, and his eye lids are feeling heavy. If drinking this blood vial can somehow save his life, then he'll take it.

Claire tilt the blood vial up the Qrow's mouth and kept it there as the blood enter his mouth. Qrow immediately distaste the sensation he is feeling on his tongue. Hes actually drinking freaking blood! Qrow had the urge to knock the blood vial away from his mouth, but his body...wouldn't let him. It felt as if his body is welcoming the blood as it entered his mouth and down his throat.

Suddenly, a jolt on pain shot through his body. Qrow clinched his sides and yelled in pain as he felt his ribs reconnecting and healing. The three hunters can hear the cracking sounds of ribs reconnecting along with the sight of abrasions and other injuries on his chest and torso fading away, returning his skin back to it's normal pale color.

Qrow is now on his hands and knees, gasping for air as it rushed in his lungs. Saya and Edward looked at each other with slightly wide eyed expressions after witnessing what they had seen from Qrow.

"How do you feel?" Claire asked him as she stood up.

"My body still hurts a bit and I feel winded. I thought that stuff was suppose to heal me?"

"I only gave you enough so that you major injuries are healed and so that you can move again." Claire answered him as she turned around and began walking away. "Edward. Saya. We're leaving to our designated positions for our second assignment."

"We should be moving then." Saya said as she began to walk off as well. She then stop and looked at Qrow from the corner of her eye. "Until the next time we meet huntsman. I pray for when that time comes, we're not hunting you."

"Oh come on now Dragon Queen. You didn't have to say that last part." Edward said. Thinking that last part was uncalled for. Saya continued to walk on. "You know its the truth Edward. I rather hunt Grimm than to hunt other hunters."

"Hey...wait" Qrow called out to the three hunters as he used his sword as leverage to get up.

"Don't attempt to follow us. Forget that you've had this encounter." Claire told him.

"How the hell can I forget after all that has happened here?" Without an answer, the three hunters vanished into a black mist or fog and appeared on top a nearby building. "Hey, wait a minute!" Qrow called out. He has questions he wanted to ask them. Before he could take a step, a woman with long wild black raven hair, wearing the same crowfeathered cloak and wearing a crow mask appeared on the rooftop. She has a murasama blade on her left side. Its Scarlet.

Qrow squinted his eyes, trying to get a better look at the woman. "Raven?" He said to himself. Scarlet slowly unsheathe her red murasama, the moonlight reflecting off of it. "Thats not Raven!"

" **Zentetsuken** " Is the only thing Scarlet said as she pulled out her Chikage in one swift movement, creating a red slash that struck the ground a few feet away from Qrow! The attack created a huge dust cloud that clouded Qrow's vision. When the cloud cleared, Scarlet and the other hunters are nowhere to be seen.

"They're gone..." Qrow said himself, staring at the rooftop where the hunters once were.

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Several hours later that same night. Scarlet, Claire, Saya, and Edward stood at the top of a high cliff that oversees a vast forest of lush green trees and vegetation. The cool breeze of the night rustled the leaves on the tress and the moonlight of the scattered moon illuminated the area. The four hunters waited in silence for one more member of their brotherhood to appear.

Edward is sitting on a tree branch with his back leading against the trunk and his hands behind his head. Scarlet is standing near the edge of the cliff, resting her left hand on the hilt of her Chikage as she gazed upon the breath taking scenery in moon lit night. Saya leaned her back against another nearby tree that is across from the one Edward is on. She stood in the shadow of the tree with her arms crossed. Claire has her back leaned against the same tree that Edward is on, she is silently looking over information she obtained from her family's database on her scroll.

"So we finally found the bugger." Edward said aloud to the women as he looked up towards the partially clouded night sky from the tree branch he is sitting on. "Roman Torchwick"

Scarlet let a small giggle escape her lips. "I wonder what his expression will be when we drop in on him?"

"I assure you it'll be one of terror when he learns that hes not invincible as he think he is." Came a woman's voice from behind the group. Bring their attention towards the direction of the voice, walking out of the shadows is a woman, around 5'6 in height, wearing the brotherhood's signature black crowfeathered cloak and wearing a crow mask without her hood on. Like with everyone else, her attire can't be seen due to the cloak covering her body. She has long wavy black hair that reaches down to her mid back and a pair of black cat ears on top of her head, which is the most noticeable thing about her appearance. Indicating that she is a Fanus.

On her left side she has a Bowblade in sword form and on her right she has a chain-and-sickle wrapped up. Finally, on her back she has a black case holding twenty quicksilver arrows. The woman took of her crow mask to reveal her face. Her skin has a light complexion, similar to that of Ruby and Weiss. Her eyes are amber colored, complemented with light-green eye shadow flaring backwards. Her eyes are also slightly tilted upwards at the ends, giving her a cat-like appearance. Her facial features look very similar to Blake's! Behind her, a group of more brotherhood members appeared out of the shadows and into the moonlight.

"Ah! Miss Belladonna." Scarlet said with a greeting smile and tone. "I'm guessing you wanted to get one last look at our faces before the big operation?"

The cat Fanus didn't show any expression to the comment the Vileblood woman made. "Claire requested that I come here before going to my post. If she hadn't then I would be using the time I have left in preparing myself and my division rather than wasting it on final farewells." She said bluntly, causing Edward to wince.

"Geez Lara. You didn't have to say it like that love. Why do you tend to be so cold?" He questioned the Fanus as he dropped down from the tree branch he was on and landed next to Claire.

Lara only gave the man a dull look with her amber cat eyes. "If you take a good look at the world we live in, then you'll know why." As you already know, Lara Belladonna is a member of the Black Wing Hunters. A brotherhood of cursed hunters. Shes one of the many Fanuses in the brotherhood who fight alongside hunters of human origin. As a master hunter, she also trains new recruits. Some considered her a mentor due to her experiences and way of thinking. She even had a hand in Kazato, Rize, and Elisa learning how to hunt Grimm. Whenever Scarlet is away.

"I agree with her." Saya said aloud as she stepped out of the shadow of the tree she was standing under. "If being here were going to be a waste of time then I would be that my post instead."

"Fortunately its worth our time." Claire moved out from the tree and approached the group along with Scarlet, who was near the edge of the cliff. "I wanted to gather you all here so I can brief you on the new additions I've added to the operation."

"New additions? Does the Father Hunter know about this?" Lara asked the rosy haired hunter. Claire nodded. "Yes. I've already went over and cleared it with him."

Edward laughed in his British accent. "Well isn't that smashing. The old bag of bones actually managed to stay awake long enough to listen to Cherry Rose's constant chin wag." Claire instantly gave the man a death glare with her seemly purple glowing eyes "Put a sock in it Edward!" She said in annoyance with her own British accent.

"Thats not true Edward. Father Hunter can barely stay awake for anything these days. Especially the condition hes in." Lara said plainly, stopping Edward's joking.

"Yeah. He constantly needs a transfusion of special blood so he can stay around a little longer. So what happened to him again?" Edward asked with a raised eyebrow. Not everything about the brotherhoods founder made sense to him. Actually, nothing seemed to make sense.

"We can talk about that another time. Claire, please continue." Saya nodded to Claire who nodded back in return.

"This is the current layout of our operation." Claire held out her scroll and clicked a button below. The moment she did, a hologram displaying the area they're in appeared. "Here are our positions. My division is in the north." Claire touched the hologram field cause a red dot to appear and she touched each position as she continued on, making more red dots appear. "Scarlet's is in the south. Saya's is in the east. And Edwards is in the west. Lara, as you already know, your division travels in the shadows. Even thou the entire brotherhood will be traveling by shadows, you will be our phantom. Able to move around freely without being spotted. The goal of this operation is to form and cast a net on our unaware prey. That net is the brotherhood itself. We are to close in on the enemy, cutting off all routes of escaping. Then I noticed something that proven to be a real determent to the operation. We're only securing the grounds but not the skies. More than likely, Roman Torchwick will have a airship as insurance for escaping. This is where I added additions."

Claire touched the hologram again making several airships appears. "Since my family is assosiated with the brotherhood, we decided to lend a few of our airships from our industry to secure the skies. Thus, forming a net there."

"So if Torchwick thinks hes home free he'll be mistaken." Saya said, grasping what Claire is doing here. Claire nodded. "Precisely. I've already relayed this to the rest of the brotherhood by scroll. Are there any questions?"

"Yes. I have one." Lara said, gaining everyone's attention. "Is there any intel of Adam Taurus being in the area?" Lara has a hint of malice in her tone. Her amber cat eyes having a cold look in them. Her expression and said name caught Scarlet's eye of interest.

Claire shook her head. "Unfortunately Lara, he is not. We can't seem to track him down."

"If he does turn up, you mustn't abandon your orders Lara." Saya told the Fanus, seeing her expression towards Adam's name. Lara closed her eyes, took a breath, and crossed her arms. Calming herself. "Yes, of course. I wouldn't let my emotions jeopardize the mission."

"Here is my question." Edward raised his hand like a child. "What is it that bugger Torchwick has at the brotherhood is itching to catch him?"

"The White Fang was spotted snooping around the abandon city of Yharnam." Saya answered his question. Edwards shot wide open. "Yharnam?! What the bloody hell would they want from there? That place is filled to the brim with Grimm. It may be considered the perfect place for the most daring, and not to mention suicidal, of hunters. But those Fanuses are no hunters."

"Torchwick that bastard. Sending our people to a place like that." Lara said under her breath.

"We don't know what they took out of there. But we all know that Yharnam has a rather _unique_ past." Scarlet finally added her voice into the conversation. "Now, is this briefing over? I wanna get this blood bath started."

Claire looked up towards the sky to see that her fleet of airships have arrived and are now securing the skies. "It seems the hunt is about to begin." She brought her attention back to the others. "I'll see you after we have succeeded our mission. May the good blood guide your way." With that said, she used her art of quicken to disappear in a fog.

"Best of luck out there!" Edward gave a two fingered salute before disappearing as well.

"Heh" Saya only chuckled as she put on her crow mask and walked towards the shadows, disappearing into a fog as well. Lara was just about to leave until Scarlet stopped her by grabbing her cloak. "There is something I want to ask you real quick." Looking her for a moment from the corner of her eye Lara turned to her division. "Head straight to your post. I'll catch up."

"Yes ma'am!" The hunters replied before disappearing. With that, Lara turned to Scarlet. "Make it quick Scarlet. We don't have much time." She said plainly while crossing her arms.

"You're hunting him down so you can find _her_ , right?" Scarlet got straight to the point. Lara's eyelids lowered that the Vileblood. "I know where she is." The cat Fanus said as she gazed upon the scattered moon that is beyond the cliff. "Shes far away from the White Fang and I'll make sure it stays that way. Adam..." Lara said his name with a hint of malice in her voice again. "I'm gonna make him regret for leading our people astray. I know how it feels to be mistreated because you're different for everyone else. But that doesn't give a plausible reason to turn what is meant to be a Fanus civil rights group into a territories organization." Lara got angrier the more she thought about. Her right hand, which is clinched in a tight fist, began emitting a black and red mist.

"Lara" Scarlet called the Fanus out of her thoughts, motioning her to look down that her fist which is covered the mist. Seeing this, Lara began calming herself taking her mind off the matter. The Grimm mist around her hand eventually disappeared. Scarlet let out a small giggle. "I like your malice. But remember, it feeds off of negative emotions, just like the Grimm that walk on Remnant. We would really hate for you to go Grimm on us."

Lara took a deep breath to calm her temper and then looked at Scarlet. "There have been plenty of times where you seem to enjoy bloodlust but you were never at risk of turning. Why is that? I'm guessing Vilebloods are a special case?"

Scarlet only chuckled at the Fanus. "Oh bloodlust? A child of blood can't lose themselves to bloodlust Lara. The same goes for the rest of the Vilebloods. I mean, that is what our kind is well known for."

"Can't be overwhelmed by bloodlust huh?" Lara said as she put her crow mask back on and began walking away. "Must be a luxury for hunters not of that bloodline."

"Don't allow yourself to be overwhelmed, or else you won't see _her_ again."

"Considering what I've put her through. I doubt she'll be happy to see me." Lara told her as she walked off in the shadows and disappeared in a fog.

* * *

After the members of the brotherhood were at there at their assigned posts, the hunt for Roman Torchwick began. On the main command ship of the Arcana fleet, it's bridge is a bustling command center. Personnel, human and Fanus, were either at the ships control panels relaying information or fulfilling orders giving to them. Soldiers on the bridge stood guard as the personnel got ready for their next set of orders.

Just then, a woman, around the height of 5'6, walked into the bustling command center. She has long wavy blond hair that reaches down to her mid back, white skin, and seemingly glowing purple eyes. She wears the crowfeathered cloak of the Black Winged Brotherhood. Indicating that she is a black wing hunter. One of the soldiers notice her and stood at attention. "Attention! Trish Catherin Arcana is on the bridge!" He said aloud. Soon after, everyone stood with a salute.

"At ease." The woman named Trish said to everyone in her British accent.

"Miss Arcana. We are approximately ten minutes from reaching the target." One of the female personnel informed her.

"Good. Switch the main screen to the master hunters in the area." She ordered as she put a hand on her hip. In front of her is a large hologram screen with a rose symbol, the symbol for her family. Doing as they are told, the personnel switched the screen to the faces of Scarlet, Claire, Saya, Edward, and Lara.

"This is Claire Victoria Arcana, coming in from the north. Everyone, what are your positions?" Claire, Trish's twin sister, said through her scroll to the rest of the brotherhood.

"Scarlet Akeldama Cainhurst, coming from the south." Scarlet said with a hint of excitement in her voice. Trish's facial expressions frowned a bit from hearing the excitement in Scarlet's voice. Even thou her family are decedents of Maria, meaning that they too are from the Vileblood line. She couldn't help but frown upon the actions of the Vilebloods. Knowing their infamous reputation.

Trish took a breath before announcing her presences. "Trish Catherin Arcana of fleet division one. Standing by."

"Oh! How nice of you to join us Trish. Isn't it nice when family get together like this?" Scarlet said in a cheery tone, which made Trish grit her teeth. "We are NOT family Scarlet." Scarlet frowned bit after hearing Trish's harsh response. "Aw come on Trish. You don't have to be so cold. What have I ever done to you?" Claire knew what is going through her sister's head because she too feels the same way about the Vilebloods.

"Saya Kasumi, coming from the east." Saya reported in, ignoring the comments being exchanged between Scarlet and Trish.

"Lara Belladonna of the phantom division. Currently scouting the area from the shadows." Lara announced. The screen showing her currently jumping from tree to tree through the forest.

"Edward Frye. Coming from the west and already have our wolfs little den in sight." Edward said with happy a tone.

"What? You're already that the compound? You really are daring Edward Frye." Scarlet's tone sounded as if she admired his action. While everyone else did not.

"Edward you bloody idiot!" Claire yelled in anger. "You were suppose to stay at your post!"

"Calm down Claire. Its not like I'm standing at their front door. I'm only a few meters away. I told my division to lag behind in case the enemy tries to pull something."

"But that is not part of the plan Edward!" Trish's voice ranged through the comm link.

"I agree with the lad. Didn't Father Hunter always say that a hunter should always go with their instincts?" Came another man's voice in the comm link. Trish gritted her teeth again. "Jacob Christopher Arcana! Of course you would agree! You two are like two peas in a pot!" She yelled that her younger brother, who is on one of the other airships of the fleet.

"What did you expect sis? We're like brothers." Jacob said to his sister as if him agreeing with Edward would be obvious.

"Aw. Thanks lad!" Edward said in a happy tone. "When this is over, drinks on me."

"Sounds like a smashing idea!" Jacob happy accepted the offer until their conversation is cut short by Lara's dry witted attitude. "Since you two agree with this coarse of action. Then we should let you two handle Roman and the White Fang. And I'm pretty sure you two can handle the SS-class assassin and criminal, Neopolitan, who is there as well.

Jacob instantly got quiet. He had his run in with Neo. Edward on the other hand only chuckled. "Oh? My favorite little chocolate strawberry swirl? I've been itching to pay her back from our last encounter. But don't worry, I won't make a move until you guys catch up."

Everyone can hear Saya gave an irritating sigh into her scroll. "Edward"

"But I do have one question that I haven't thought about before." Edward continued. "How is it that one man ruffled up everyone's feathers? Why is Arcana Industries willing to send in their forces?"

"Because he stole something from us." Claire answered his question, only receiving a 'huh?' response from Edward.

"Everyone knows that your family is known for creating weapons that huntsmen and huntresses use. I'm guessing that he stole some of your material, right?" Edward asked.

"No. He stole, or should I say got a hold of, something that is more valuable and dangerous." Trish told him, her voice getting low for some reason.

"Something more valuable and dangerous? What would that be?" Edward's voice now filled with curiosity.

"Its a long story and its complicated to explain. But its something that can put all of Remnant in peri-" Before Trish could finish her sentence, one of the personnel interrupted her. "Miss Arcana. We're picking something up on the radar." They informed her. Trish looked over at the radar and saw that it is picking up something weird. "I'll contact you guys if theres anything worth noting." And with that said, she ended her connection to the comm link with the big red letters spelling 'intermission' appearing on screen.

"What is it that we're picking up?" Trish asked the personnel, now bringing her attention towards the radar.

"We're not sure ma'am. But we do know that it's small and is giving off small energy waves. Its floating just above the fleet. I'll bring it up on screen for you ma'am." At that, the personnel keyed in some buttons on the control panel and brought the image of a small cloudy object in the sky.

"Zoom in closer." Trish told the personnel, which they did. Now everyone on the bridge has a clear view of what this object is. It appeared to be some kind of black and red mist in the shape of a swirling portal. Trish squinted her eyes, trying to identify the object. _'What is that?'_

Suddenly, a figure of a person dropped out of the portal. Free falling towards the fleet. "What the-? Have the cameras follow that figure." Trish ordered the personnel. The screen showed a woman with long black raven hair that reaches to her lower back. She has on a swallow cut red and black dress, red-girdle belt, and a pair of matching red gauntlets. A piece of her clothing that hangs on her right side of her skirt is made out of black feathers and she has on black thigh-high boots with a splattered red pattern. The one thing that is most noticeable about her attire is the a fearsome full-face mask that resembles a Grimm. She is equip with nothing but a long-blade that looks to be a Murasama on her left side.

"Who the hell?"

* * *

The mysterious Grimm masked woman is rapidly descending head first from the skies above, the wind racing pass her. With her mask protecting her face from the rushing wind, she is able to focus on her multiple preys as she is rushing towards them. "Tonights the night. The night that marks the beginning." The woman said with her tone having a bit excitement in it as she grabbed the handle of her sword, rapidly heading towards one of the airships.

She swiped her sword out in one swift motion creating a black and red portal which she went through. The portal reappeared inside the hanger of the ship she was heading towards. She dropped out of the portal, landing in the middle of the hanger filled with soldiers. Startled by her sudden appearance, the soldiers immediately trained all of their guns on her from all directions.

"An intruder?"

"Who the hell is that?"

"Is that the woman from the hologram screen?"

The woman let out a small giggle as she slowly stood up in front of the soldiers, keeping her hand on her sword's handle, which is back in it's sheath. "Tonight. Raven Branwen joins the hunt."

"Shoot her! Empty those clips!" One of the soldiers shouted as everyone unleashed a bulletstorm at Raven. Raven jumped into the air, avoiding the bullets. When she came down, she took off at inhuman speed, faster than the eye can see, cutting through soldiers like tissue paper. The more soldiers she cut down, the more blood that began covering the hangers floor and walls.

Underneath her mask, Raven's naturally red eyes began to glow. She began to feel a huge rush of adrenaline flow through her body. She never could figure out why she feels this way when she draws blood in battle. The sight of it always entices her. At this moment, she is like executionor at a guillotine; slicing and butchering her victims before they could react.

Her blade, her Chikage, sings with scarlet hue with each drop of blood it drinks. The sound of flesh and meat being sliced followed by the sounds of blood splattering and bones crunching underneath her blade played a alien melody that strangely feels good to her ears. With each soldier she cuts down, a different melody is played.

One of the soldiers took control and began piloting a giant mech suit, shooting rounds that Raven. Raven let out a chuckle as she dodged side to side, deflecting the incoming bullets. In a blink of an eye, the mech suit is suddenly cut half by a red flash.

"Its just one woman. How is she doing that?" One soldier said in utter disbelief, seeing how Raven had cut through countless soldiers and a battle mech.

"The question is not how I do it..." Came Raven's voice as she suddenly appeared behind the soldier, sending chills down his spine. "Its who is gonna stop me?"

"What the bloody hell is going on over there?!" Trish yelled at her scroll, trying to contact the ship that is being attacked. Gun shots and screams can be heard through the comm link, creating an unease, spine chilling, and edgy atmosphere in the command center.

"A-A GRIMM! SHES A GRI- ARGHHHH-" The comm link is suddenly cut off in the middle of the soldier's bloodcurdling scream. Trish clinched her teeth. She began to feel anger rather than fear at the moment. She then made another attempt to get in contact with the ship again, but before she could the ship that was being attack suddenly exploded. The ship went down, crashing into another airship that is close to it.

Raven is falling through the air again, this time her sights are set on the fleet's command ship. "Hm. So one of _them_ is at the very heart of the nest. Judging by their presence, they should provide some entertainment. But first..." Raven looked behind her to see a jet coming at her.

"Target in sight. Commencing attack." The jet's pilot said as he began firing bullets at Raven.

"Heh, well now. This should be interesting." Raven smirked underneath her Grimm mask as she vanished a into a black and red mist.

"Where did she go?" The pilot looked around vigorously for the mysterious woman until she suddenly reappeared on top of the nose of the jet, on the other side of the jet's wind shield. The pilot gasped and stared in horror, completely intimidated by Raven's Grimm-like appearance.

"Buckle up in there..." Raven said as her right hand began to emit a red and black mist as she drew it back. "Because this is going to hurt." With that said, she punched through the glass, hitting the Pilot with a visceral attack, jabbing her hand into the pilot's chest.

The pilot let out a bloodcurdling scream as Raven yanked him out of the cockpit. She lifted the pilot up in the air with one arm. Her glowing red eyes shining through the four eye slits of her mask, making her appear even more demonic-like.

In the midst of all the pain and fear he is feeling, the pilot managed to utter out one word. "G...Grimm..."

Raven only smirked. "You maybe right about that." She then looked behind her to see another incoming jet. With that, she sent through the pilot flying through the air towards the other jet with a mighty swing. The other jet hit the pilot's body, the impact ultimately causing the pilot to burst into blood and body parts. The pilot of the other jet can't see a thing because their wind shield is now covered with blood, unaware that their heading for a head-on collision with the other jet. Raven back flipped off the uncontrolled jet she is on, moments before they crashed into if each other resulting an explosion.

"Let's see. Which dust would I use?" Raven pondered as she is falling through the air once again, falling towards a group three airships below her that acts as a wall between her and the command ship. "Hm. Oh! I have something better." Smirking once again underneath her mask, Raven slided her Chikage out of it's sheath just a bit so that her red blade is showing. "My sword. Drink my blood." She said as her cut the tip of her thumb, her blood touching the blade. Doing as it is told, the sword happily drank the blood Raven offered it, the blood going into it's sheath.

 _'Its not enough.' "_ Drink more of my blood Chikage." Just as she command it, the blade began taking more of her blood. Raven winced a little from the pain. "That should do it. I'll have take a blood vial afterwards." She placed the blade back in it's sheath, which her finger on the trigger of her handle. Raven let out a deep calming breath before saying this one word.

" **Zentetsuken!** " She began to pull her red murasama blade out of it's sheath but at the same time pulling the trigger on it's handle, creating a small ignition boost that allows her to draw out the blade faster than she could on her own. She swiped her blade, creating a huge wide spread attack and disappeared in a red mist. The attack hit one of the thrusters of one of the ships, causing it to tilt and crash into the ship next to it. This caused an chain reaction in which the two ships crashed into the third one, causing an explosion as a result.

Raven reappeared and turned around, carelessly falling backwards, watching the destruction she caused and clapping her hands as if she is a child watching the fireworks. "Now thats what I call fireworks." With that, she opened another portal to teleport into another ship, damaging it from the inside.

Trish and everyone on the bridge of the command ship stared wide eyed and slack-jawed as they watched some of their ships began to crash into one another.

* * *

Scarlet's division stood and stared that the sky with utter confusion. Feeling helpless as they watched their allies fleet began igniting into explosions that lite up the night sky. "What is...?" Scarlet muttered to herself.

"What the bloody hell is happening up there Trish?!" Claire shouted through the comm link.

"A woman is attacking our ships from the inside! Shes cutting the net!" Trish responded with a shout of her own. "Shes singlehandedly taking out our fleet with nothing but a red murasama blade!" The mention of that caught Scarlet's attention. _'A red murasama blade. It must be a Chikage.'_ "Trish, did you manage to get a good look at the woman?"

"No, shes-"

"Miss Arcana! Shes on the command ship!" One of the personnel informed Trish in terror. A growl of anger and frustration can be heard from her. "Damn it all! That bloody bitch!" With that, she hung up.

"Trish? TRISH!" Claire called out to her sister but received no response.

"I'm sorry lads, but I'm going in after Roman." Edward announced his next coarse of action.

"Don't be foolish Edward!" Saya yelled from her end of the line.

"Sorry, but my gut is telling me to do this. For all we know, Roman might know we've found him!" Edward argued.

"I'll give you the benefit of the doubt Edward." Lara made her presence known on the comm link. If someone is deliberately compromising our objective then there maybe a possibility that Roman maybe on to us. But we can't let you go it alone. Just wait until I get there."

"I appreciate your help love, but I can't just sit here. I'm off." With that, Edward hung up.

"Edward wait!" Claire shouted. "Lara, hurry and get to that damn fool!"

"Roger that." Lara replied as she and her division traveled through the forest by trees. _'Edward you idoit!'_ Lara thought in anger and aggravation. Suddenly her sharp cat-like eyes caught sight of something red reflect off the moonlight just ahead of them . "What is-" Lara gasped, cutting herself off, after figuring out what it is. "Stop moving!" She shouted as she instantly stopped on a tree branch she is on. Unfortunately, some of her fellow hunters didn't react quick enough and got in a spider web of red threads.

The hunters screamed and struggled to break free from the thread, but to no avail. Suddenly the threads around them began to get tighter and tighter, cutting their clothes and skin as it did until eventually the hunters were cut to bits by the squeezing threads. Their bloodcurdling screams echoing through out the forest.

"No!" Lara yelled after seeing some of her comrades slaughtered in front of her. Lara gritted her teeth in furious anger as she drew out her bowblade. The remaining hunters of her division joined her, wielding saw clevers, rifle spears, hunter's Axes, etc.

Suddenly a woman with high heeled boots and wearing some kind of red and black armor stepped out from behind one of the trees. She appeared to be around the height of 5'8 and she has a Grimm mask on. The most noticeable thing about her is that she seems to have multiple arms, eight of them like a spider. Two of them are her real arms, which are currently crossed, judging them wearing a pair of matching gauntlet while the other arms are black. These are the fake ones.

"Hey kitty kitty. Do you mind keeping me entertained?" The mysterious woman said directly to Lara. Lara let out a growl of irritation. Know its obvious to her. They somehow knew at they were coming. But how? "Guys. We have a problem." Lara contacted the other master hunters. Soon after she did, an explosion occurred out in the distance followed by a violate shake.

"We already know." Saya responded as she is now standing in front of a huge dust cloud. Around her are deceased hunters and injured ones that are being pulled away from the fight by their comrades. A shadow of a person appeared in the dust and when the dust cleared it revealed a heavy set man wearing red and black armor and wearing a Grimm mask with horns on it's forehead. He wielded some kind of staff that is glowing red.

"A moonlit scent. So you're one of those hunters. Show me the power of your Grimm." The man said in a forceful tone. Saya took a quick look at the condition of her hunters. Not many of them are in the right condition to fight. She gritted her teeth. "I guess I have no choice." With that, her body began to emit a red and black mist.

"This is just bloody great." Claire said on her end of the comm link. In her location, she is currently standing off against a person wearing a red hooded cloak and wearing a Grimm mask as well. The weapon they have is unknown due to their cloak covering their body. "Grr. Scarlet, where are you?"

"I'm on my way to Edward right now. I've sent my division to lend you all a helping hand." Scarlet told them as she jumped from tree to tree, heading to Edward's location.

"Make sure that idiot doesn't get himself killed!"

"You have my word." With that, Scarlet hung up her end of the comm link. _'Something doesn't make sense here. If Roman knew that we were coming then he would've sent the White Fang and Neopolitan to intercept us. I don't think he saw this coming, someone else did. But who?'_ Her thoughts then went over to the event Trish mentioned. "A red murasama blade. Not just anyone can wield a Chikage. Unless they're from the Vileblood line. There are only three known wielders with a Chikage. My little Rize, myself, and..." A smile crept onto Scarlet's face. "Guess it's time for a little master and student reunion. Don't you think? Raven?"

* * *

 **AN: Thank for reading everyone! Any review, questions, and constructive criticism welcome. I will really appreciate the support.** **This is Chronicles calling it a wrap. And may the good blood guild your way.**


	3. The Black Wing Hunters Act 2

**AN: Hey guys, I'm back with another chapter. Hope you enjoy.**

* * *

Edward has already infiltrated the White Fang's temporary hideout with out being spotted. The hideout turned out to be an abandoned bunker hidden deep within the forest. Now inside, Edward watched the operations of the White Fang from the rafters above. He remained in a crouch position to balance his weight on the narrow platform.

The members of the White Fang appeared to be loading large crates of unknown cargo on to their airships. "I wonder whats in those crates?" Edward said to himself, knowing that the White Fang is shipping something other than stolen dust.

"Yeah yeah I have the cargo. I'm loading it now." Came a man's voice. Edward looked over to see a man wear a red-lined white suit with long black pants and black shoes. He also has on black gloves and a black bower hat. It is Roman Torchwick himself. He is talking to someone on a scroll in his left hand and twirling a weapon that looks like a cane in his right as he walked along the second floor of the bunker that overlooks the members of the White Fang that are on the first floor.

"Theres my prey." Edward said with a smirk. He then looked to a short woman who is leaning against the rail of the second floor. The woman's hair appeared to be half pink and half brown, the same went for her eyes. She wears a white jacket with a pink interior, brown pants, and black and white boots with very high heels. Underneath her jacket she has on a brown corset that curves in the middle and at the bottom, exposing her hips. Next to her is her umbrella leaning on the rail. This is Neo. "And theres my Neapolitan ice cream."

"You know? This odd job you have me doing is a real pain in the ass. It cost me enough trouble already. Especially when you wanted me to go to that damn abandoned city. What was it called again? Yemen? Yaham? Or what ever its called. That place is crawling with Grimm. Then you stole something from Arcana Industries and now you're telling me that a group of hunters have found me? This better be worth my awhile." Roman complained to the person on the other end on the comm link.

"Calm down Roman" A young woman's voice said on the other end of the scroll. It is the voice of Cinder Fall. "I was well aware that the task would be difficult, but you were the only one with enough manpower to get it done. Once you've delivered the cargo, you're free to resume with your own agendas." She told him, not showing any sight of anger towards Roman's outburst. "Just make sure you get it there on time, understood?" Cinder made herself clear and demanding with her instructions.

"Don't worry about it. I always have things finished right now schedule." Roman assured her. "But I do have a question."

"Oh? What might that be?"

"What do you need this stuff for anyway? Let me tell you. That city has some weird stuff in that tomb underneath it."

"Oh, theres no need of you to be concerned about that. Their for my own agendas. I'm expecting the shipment by tomorrow morning. Understood?" Cinder said making her last instructions clear to him.

 _'This woman is a damn slave driver!'_ Roman thought before answering. "Yeah yeah I got it. I'll have it there by tomorrow morning."

"Good" With that, Cinder hung up. When she did Roman let out an irritated sigh. "She loves giving people orders, doesn't she?" He then walked up to the rail that Neo is leaning on. "Hey! Pick up the pace people! Time is money! We have to get the cargo there before day break!" Roman then took off his hat and began rubbing his head, the situation Cinder put him in is really giving him a headache. "Come on Neo. There are some things we have to look over."

Neo simply nodded without saying a word and followed Roman to a door behind them that leads to a office.

"Oh, and someone bring me some painkillers! My head is killing me." With that, both he and Neo went into the office.

"Coming right up. Roman." Edward said as he made his way across the rafters and towards the second floor where the office is. After dropping to the the second floor, Edward stayed in crouch position as he approached the office door so Roman wouldn't see him. Inside the office he can hear Roman's voice. It sounds like hes on the scroll again. "Yeah that'll be good..."

A evil smirked formed on Edwards lips. _'The poor swanker has no idea whats in store for him. So, how should I go about making him piss his panties?'_ Edward thought on how he can get the drop on Roman. This is until he heard Roman's voice again.

"Oh yeah. And Neo, make sure you give him one helluva warm welcome."

"Him?" Edward said to himself. Just then he felt a presence behind him and saw a shadow moving. "Damn!" Edward ducked and dodged out of the way of a incoming kick from behind that is aiming for his head.

When he recovered he saw that it is Neo who tried to kick in his skull with her boot. Her boot had kicked the door and left a dent in it which made Edward wince at the thought of how much pain he would be in if he got hit.

"Well if it isn't my favorite little chocolate strawberry swirl." Edward said with a confident grin. "Its been awhile, hasn't it love?"

Still not saying a word but only giving a grin, Neo came at Edward with a fast kick to the face, which Edward dodged by sidestepping. Neo continued with her onslaught of kicks, fighting fluidly with her movements.

"Persistent is always huh? Its like you can't get enough of me." Edward said with a confident grin still on his face. He then jumped over the rail and dropped down to the first floor to get some distance from Neo. Soon as he landed on the first floor, other members of the White Fang noticed him. "Whos that? Intruder!" The next thing Edward knew is that all of the members have him at gun point.

"Well well well." Came Roman's voice as he walked up to the rail beside Neo, resting his cane on his shoulder. "Looks like we have ourselves an unexpected guest."

"Theres no were to turn tail and run this time Roman. The brotherhood is closing in on your sorry ares as we speak." Edward told him with confidants in his voice.

"Is. That. Right? I guess we'll have to see about that. But first we're gonna wipe that confident smile off your face. Neo." Roman gave the command. Neo dropped down to the first floor, using her umbrella as a parachute, allowing her to softly land.

Edward drew out his curved sword and his gun, a confident grin still on his face. "Well then mates, let's dance. Let's have ourselves a jolly good time."

* * *

Back on the command ship of the Arcana fleet, Trish and Raven are engaged in a fast paced deadly struggle in the ship's central hub. Both of them clashed with their weapons at incredible speeds through out the hub. Even before the fight started, Raven had already dealt some serious damage to the ship. The only reason why she hasn't destroyed it already is because Trish intervened. The emergency alarms of the ship rang loud while a voice from the ship's intercom is telling everyone to evacuate.

The ship shaked violently as it gradually fell apart. Raven's Chikage constantly colliding with Trish's transformed Blade of Mercy.

The two back off each other, Trish panting slightly while Raven is unphased.

 _'Damn! Shes annoyingly tough. She fights like shes bloody Scarlet.'_ Trish gritted her teeth. _'Not only that. I can also smell the scent of the moon on her, like shes a black wing hunter. Also, I keep getting this familiar feeling from her. It feels like my blood has some kind of connection with hers, the same feeling when ever I'm around my family or Scarlet and those of her kind. Could she be...one of them?'_

Trish is suddenly snapped out of her train of thought as the ship violently shaked once again. "Grr. This whole damn place is falling apart." Suddenly, a huge chunk of the ceiling above fell down in between the two, engulfed in flames. Trish stepped down, shielding her face from the blazing heat. "Damn. Screw it." Trish said as she fled. "I hope everyone got their ares off this ship!" She yelled in her scroll as she ran to evacuate. Without wasting anytime, Raven opened a portal with her sword and walked through it.

* * *

Back that the White Fang's bunker, Edward is currently engaged in combat with Neo on top of one of the airships. Using his curved sword to block the blade she had hidden in her umbrella and also blocking her kicks with his arms. Bodies of White Fang members laid sprawled on floor. Unfortunately, they tried to confront Edward and well...

In the heat of the fight Neo jumped a thrust from Edward's curved sword and stood on top of it, looking down at him with her usually mocking grin. With that, she performed a back flip, kicking him in the jaw. Edward stumbled back, holding his jaw. When he looked up he saw Neo in the air ready to stab him in the face with her blade, a sadistic smile on her face.

"Enough of this." Edward's eyes began to turn black and red, the eyes of a Grimm. At that, he let out a beast roar which knocked Neo back with such force that she is sent crashing through some empty crates. At the corner of his eye, Edward saw incoming missiles heading right towards him. Using his art of quicken, Edwards vanished into a black fog to avoid the missiles as they hit the airship he was on resulting an explosion.

"Hold still! You're just gonna make it even more painful for yourself. Then again, I think I prefer it that way." Came Roman's voice from within a stolen giant battle mech. Edward looked up that the battle mech. "Your getting kinda reckless, don't you think? You'll end up hitting your precious cargo."

"Thanks for showing your concern, but I'm not stupid. While you were playing with Neo, I've already took care of the merchandise. Now we can really get this dance started." Roman fired more missiles at Edward, whose simply used his art of quicken to avoid the missiles as he closed to gap between them. Roman then sent a punch from the battle mech towards Edward, attempting to crush him.

Transforming his Burial Blade into scythe form, Edward jumped the punch, ran up the mech's arm while slicing it with his scythe, and cut off it's arm. After landing back on the ground behind the mech, Edward bolted back toward it with inhuman speed, cutting off it right and left leg, causing it to fall.

"WHAT THE HELL JUST HAPPENED !" Roman yelled in utter shock and disbelief. Edwards appeared in front of the glass of the cockpit. He punched through the glass, grabbed Roman, and threw him out of the fall mech. Roman hit the floor rolling. Edward is now walking towards Roman with his scythe, the mech exploding behind him. Before he could get to Roman, Neo appeared from behind which a sneak attack. Unfortunate for her, Edward vanished into a black fog and appeared behind her, charging an attack with his scythe. Neo blocked the attack with her blade but the force of the impact knocked her off her feet and sent her rolling toward Roman.

"You two should know better that to cheese off a cursed hunter." Edward said with a bit of malice in his voice. The eyeholes of his crow mask glowing red and his body emitting a red and black mist.

"What the hell is with this guy?" Roman said to himself. Neo rose to her feet. To tell the truth, she never felt a aura like this from Edward before. From their last encounter he didn't display this, but now...it intimidated her. Edward continued to walk toward them until suddenly a red flash struck him, causing him to slide back, way back.

"What the bleeding hell?" Edward said to himself. When her looked up he saw a woman with long black raven hair wearing a Grimm mask, and has a long sword. Its Raven. _'Reinforcements huh?'_ Edward thought. Something about his new adversary didn't settle well with him. He can smell the scent of the moon on her, like with the brotherhood. _'I may have to be careful with this one.'_ With that thought in mind, Edward vanished into a black fog and suddenly reappeared in the air above Raven, his scythe ready to decapitate her.

In a blink of an eye, a red flash appeared and deflected his attack, his cloak instantly became torn and cuts appeared on his chest and torso. _'What?'_ Edward stared wide eyed at what happened. He saw that Raven now has her sword out, which her had in her sheath earlier. _'How did-'_ Before he could finish his thoughts Raven kicked his in the check, causing him the fly back.

"I'm impressed. You took three of my attacks and all you received are tattered clothes and minor cuts." Raven said as she began to take off her mask. Edward recovered to his feet from her attack. "Three attacks? What the bloody hell are you talking about?"

Raven took off her mask revealing her face to him. "Perhaps that was a bit too fast. This time I'll do them nice and slow so you can see it." Edward's eye grew wide. "You! You're..." Before her could get he words out, Raven suddenly came upon him with a overhead slash, which Edward blocked with the handle of his Burial Blade. "So this is what happened to you Rav?! You turned against us?! You know they won't let this slide!"

"They can bring the whole damn brotherhood for all I care. Because in the end, Remnant will never be freed from it's shackles." Raven told him as they pushed off from each other and began clashing. Raven backed off and stood on the rail of the second floor, looking down that Edward. "Answer me this Edward. Do you have any idea on how the nightmare works? How it is inevitably reborn?"

Edward kept quiet, he didn't have a way of answering that question. His silence gave her the answer she wanted. "Exactly. You never experienced it. What you do know about it is what you found in the brotherhood's archives and insight given from The Father Hunter himself. What the brotherhood doesn't know is that their beloved founder is hiding the harrowing truth from them. They're just prolonging the inevitable. Remnant can't be freed."

Edward only chuckled as his body began to emit more red and black mist. Edward knew he is pushing his luck with this as he can feel the presence of the Grimm within him grow stronger and stronger. "You sound crazy, just like Scarlet. I wonder if she really did a good job that being your mentor? Its true that I don't know much about the nightmare or what the hell it is. And based on your crazy talk, I don't think I want to know." He said as he readied for an attack, the mist covering him.

Raven raised an eyebrow and smirked as her body began to emit the same mist. Both of them leapt at each other, weapons collided as they went pass each other. "Argh!" Edward received a large deep slash wound across his chest and torso. He fell face first to the ground.

"Did she get him?" Roman asked himself. Suddenly the ceiling above them exploded, a giant hole in the ceiling is revealed when the dust cloud cleared. The light of the scattered moon shun through the hole and in the night sky is one of the White Fang's airships.

A burst of mist came from Edward's body, making Raven step back. "I've...reached...my limit." Edward struggled to his hands and knees, his crow mask fell off his face and is coughing up blood. "I can't...let these buggers...take me alive." He knew what he had to do. "Scarlet, Claire, Saya, Lara, the kids, and everyone. I'm sorry."

"Wait. Hes..." Raven noticed what Edward is going to do. Edward screamed as he felt a sudden pain run through his entire body as the mist began to engulf him. Shortly after, Edward transformed into a monstrous Grimm right before everyone's eyes.

Never in his life has Roman seen anything like this before. "WHAT THE HELL IS WITH THIS GUY!" He exclaimed in complete shock as Neo grabbed him and using her umbrella to escape through the giant hole in the ceiling.

Raven only looked up that the monstrous Grimm that used to be Edward. "You've abandoned everything to protect the brotherhood. Didn't you Edward?" Her voice seem to show a hint of sympathy of the fallen hunter. Knowing what it means when a hunter willingly lets the Grimm take over. "But in the end, your sacrifice will be worth nothing." Raven took a traditional swordsmen stance with her Chikage.

The Grimm lunged towards Raven, bearing it's fangs and claws. In a blink of an eye, Raven cut down the Grimm, causing it to fly over her and hit the ground. Raven walked up to the injured Grimm, lifting her blade over her head for the finishing blow. "I hope you still dream Edward. Then perhaps you'll find a true hunter's dream that let's you rest in peace instead holding you captive." When she brought her blade down the finish him, a red flash appeared and deflected her attack, making her slide back.

Raven had an idea who did that attack. She looked to see a woman with long wild raven black hair, wearing a crow mask, and wielding a Chikage as well. "Scarlet" Raven said to herself.

"Long time, no see Rav." Scarlet chuckled. "Its nice to see my former student again." She greeted Raven with a smile.

Raven examined Scarlet before answering. _'After all these years. She has seemed to age a bit.'_ "I figured we'll into each other out here sooner or later." She said to her former teacher.

"I hear that you made quite the fireworks of the Arcana's ships. And only with the blade of your sword. I have trained you well." Scarlet's tone seemed to praise Raven. "But I have a curious question. Why are you against the brotherhood?"

"Its not the brotherhood Scarlet, its this world." Raven corrected her. "You and I both know that Remnant is a world of a long forgotten past. A past that the world refuses to remember. Our entire lives we lived a lie. Now its time to reveal the truth for what the world really is. Look at what happened to Edward. This is the fate for those who try to defy the truth."

Scarlet leaned against the injured Grimm. She sighed as she crossed her arms and shook her head. "Its my fault that you're thinking this way."

"No its not." Raven corrected her again.

"It is. You won't be doing this if I hadn't taken you to Yharnam with me that night, before it became abandoned." Scarlet told her.

"Do you remember what you've taught me before I went off the grid?" Raven asked her form master as she sheathed her sword. "Go with what you think is right, not by what others say. In the world we live in, there is no right or wrong."

"Oh? I did, did I?" Scarlet scratched her cheek with her finger, trying to play dumb. "Its true that I taught you that Rav. But I can't help getting the feeling that you might be planning something that will affect all of Remnant."

Raven smirked as she put her Grimm mask back on. "Oh its not me who doing the planning." Her response made Scarlet raise an eyebrow. "Oh? So you're working for someone?"

Raven used her sword to cut open a portal behind her and started to walk through it. "I know the brotherhood will be here soon. The next time we meet Scarlet, it won't be on friendly terms." With that being said, she disappeared along with the portal.

Scarlet chuckled that Raven's parting words. "You never disappointed me for taking an interest in you Rav. But I'm afraid that you're becoming too dangerous for your own good." She looked down at the Grimm lying lifeless at her feet. "Edward"

* * *

It is very early in the morning now in the kingdom of Vale. Ozpin stood in his office within the clocktower that overlooks the kingdom. The gears of the clocktower can be heard as they turned, casting shadows upon the glass floor. Ozpin stood at the huge glass windows that are behind his desk with a cup of coffee in his right hand and his left hand behind his back. He watched as the light of the mourning sun pierce through the darkness of the night, rising the kingdom from it's slumber and signaling the beginning of a new school year for Beacon Academy.

While Ozpin is enjoying his mourning cup of coffee and the silence that filled his office, the sound the elevator door opening followed by footsteps and voices ruined it all for him. Ozpin let out a small, but silent, sigh as he continued to look out the window.

"Look, I'm not kidding around about what I saw out there." Came Qrow's voice.

"You really except for me to believe that nonsense?" Came a woman's voice that sounded like it belongs to Glynda Goodwitch.

"So you don't believe me?" Qrow asked Glynda the question that is completely obvious.

"Perhaps if you stop drinking all the time and stay sober, then maybe it'll easier to believe the things you say." Glynda said with a sharp tongue and a smart attitude. One that Qrow didn't like.

"Oh, so you're implying that when I get drunk I hurt myself? Is that it? You really think I would do that to myself?"

"Thats about enough you two." Ozpin spoke up as he turned around, stopping their argument. "Qrow, I see that you've recovered well."

"Yeah, looks like." Qrow answered as he looked at his right arm, seeing that there are no scars from his injures. _'A little too well.'_

"Now then. Qrow." Ozpin regained his attention as he sat in his chair and sat his coffee mug on the desk. "Tell me about what happened last night."

"Wha- Professor Ozpin" Glynda started but Ozpin held up a hand to stop her.

"Well, for a quick recap. I was visiting one of my sources at a Tavern in one of the shady towns on the outskirts of Vale. Unfortunate for me, he didn't have anything about autumn's attacker or Roman. Then some guy, a huntsman, started going crazy and ran out of the Tavern not before before he killed someone. I chased after the guy and found him at the town's old cemetery. The guy started saying some crazy stuff about turning into a Grimm and how huntsmen and huntresses don't live up to hunters? Whatever does that mean? We got into a short dance until he literally turned into a Grimm right in front of me. I thought I was a goner until three people wearing black cloaks and crow masks came out of no where and saved my skin."

Ozpin raised an eyebrow at what Qrow told him. Glynda is about to say something but Ozpin stopped her again. "These three people. Did they say anything to you?"

Qrow scratched the back of his head as he tried to remember. "Hm, let's see. They were telling me that a normal man wouldn't have survived against that Grimm and how it was stronger that any normal Grimm. One of them said something about dreams if I can remember."

"I see." Is all Ozpin said as he got up from his chair and walked to the window behind him. He didn't show any signs of shock or confusion about what Qrow told him, especially the part about the huntsman becoming a Grimm.

At this point Glynda couldn't hold it in anymore. "Professor Ozpin! Don't tell me that you actually believe what he is saying?" A human transforming into a Grimm? Thats absurd! It sounds like something out of a scary story to give kids nightmares!"

"Hey. I wish what I saw was a nightmare too. But its not." Qrow told her.

"Do you two believe in legends?" Ozpin asked the two out of the blue. The huntsman and the huntress looked that each other with weird looks before looking back a Ozpin. "What are you getting at here Ozpin?" Qrow asked.

"I'm asking if you believe if all legends are real. Considering that the legends of the four seasonal maidens and the silver-eyed warriors exist." Ozpin told them.

Qrow crossed his arms. "Well. Since those two are real, there is no telling what is or isn't real these days. What? Are you trying to say that there is a legend about what I saw last night?" Qrow had no idea how right he is. He hit it dead on the nose.

"Aside from the legends of the four seasonal maidens and the silver-eyed warriors, there is another legend that is shrouded in mystery and long forgotten." Ozpin told the two as he kept his back towards them. "You two are familiar with the abandoned city of Yharnam, correct?"

"Its the oldest city ever found outside the kingdoms. It became abandoned because it was being over run with Grimm." Glynda answered.

"Yeah. Makes you think how the hell those people manage to survive so long without being protected by a wall." Qrow commented.

"Its because they had hunters of their own." Ozpin told him. "The city would have a annual hunt in efforts to fight back and extinguish the Grimm from their city. Or as the Yharnamites call them, Beast. The entire city would be in a state of lockdown while the hunt carries on through out the night. The legend of the Sliver-eyed warriors and this legend are similar and goes hand in hand. Yharnam had two well known kinds of hunters. Silver-eyed hunters and Cursed hunters."

 _'Silver-eyed hunters and Cursed hunters?'_ Both Qrow and Glynda though.

"We already know the legend of the Silver-eyed warriors, also known as Silver-eyed hunters. In Yharnam, they are identified by their silver-like eyes and the crescent weapons they carry. Weapons forged by fragments that fell from the moon itself. Weapons that glow with crescent moonlight in the presence of Grimm. Cursed hunters are hard to identify unless they do some that no human can do."

"Okay, but what makes them just has special as the silver-eyed warriors?" Qrow questioned.

"They drank the blood of Grimm." Ozpin's answer really put a confused look on their face. "It is said that man was created from dust. But it is also said that the Creatures of Grimm were also created from that very same dust. Given why Grimm are attracted to the negative emotions of humanity. The legend says that every human and Fanus has a Grimm within them. And that the Cursed hunters drank the blood of the Grimm in order to connect with the Grimm within and gain supernatural abilities."

Qrow thought back to last night as Ozpin continued. Remembering the things those three hunters did and the huntsman who turned into a Grimm.

"Apparently, the Grimm within can be stirred by intense negative emotions such as stress, sorrow, rage, and fear. These mostly effect hunters due to the things they see and do, which will eventually lead to bloodlust and insanity if not treated right way. Drinking the Grimm's blood jump starts the process without any emotion being involved. But doing do is dangerous. Once you've drink the blood there is a 50/50 chance that you'll instantly transform into a Grimm." Ozpin turned to look at Qrow. "So there may be possibly that the three hunters you've encountered last night may have been Cursed hunters."

Know that Ozpin has put all of this out there, Qrow really began to think.

"Professor. How do you know all of this?" Glynda asked Ozpin, now curious about his knowledge on the legend.

"Its just an old legend Ms. GoodWitch. There are still some things about it I don't quite understand. Now, we have several hours before the students begin to arrive and I would like for everything to be ready. The two of you are dismissed." With a nod from the two they left Ozpin's office, leaving him alone again. He turned facing the window again, watching his kingdom slowly come alive as the dusk turn to dawn. "Unfortunately, there is much more to the legend."

Just then, a red and black portal opened up in the middle of Ozpin's office. Ozpin didn't bother to turn around and look at the portal. Its as if he been expecting it.

Shortly after the portal appeared, Scarlet casually stepped out and into the office. This time she didn't have her black hood crowfeathered cloak and crow mask on. She now wears a black crop top, dark tight leather pants with a white belt, and black high-heeled boots. She still has her Chikage on her right side, it never leaves her side.

"Hey there Ozzy. Its been quite some time. Still coop up in your clocktower I see " Scarlet greeted him with her usually cheery tone. Ozpin let out another silent sigh for his peace and quiet is disturbed once again. "Ms...Cainhurst. What brings you to my kingdom this early in the mourning?" Ozpin asked the child of blood as he turned to face her.

"Oh I just wanted to talk to my fellow hunter." Scarlet said as she casually walked up to Ozpin's desk.

"Is that right?" Ozpin said with an raised eyebrow. "I rarely see you around Vale. Are you on business from the Black Wing Brotherhood?"

Scarlet rubbed the back of her head as she winced a little. "This the main reason why I came have Ozzy." Ozpin raised another eyebrow at Scarlet. "See. Roman Torchwick slipped up which allowed us to find him. We launched a full scale operation last night to corner and catch him. Unfortunately, someone else saw this coming and intervened, allowing Roman to escape. We lost a large number of good hunters. Right now, the brotherhood is crippled."

Ozpin's expression frowned after learning that so many had recently died. "I am sorry for you loss. What made the brotherhood want to make a drastic move like that? Usually you'll send a team of three or four?"

"The White Fang has been spotted snooping around Yharnam and they left with crates containing some things they took out of the tomb."

"Yharnam?!" Ozpin's eyed went wide. "They were in the tomb of the gods that is underneath the city?!"

Scarlet nodded. "Those who know Yharnam must almost know about it's past and what its connected to. Also, someone stole a material from Arcana Industries and gave it to Roman. Where it is now? We have no idea."

"Stolen?" Ozpin repeated. "Arcana Industries is known for manufacturing weapons used by huntsmen and huntresses. What would someone want to steal from them?"

Scarlet only shrugged her shoulders. "The Arcana family is an interesting bunch, especially since the family is made up of assassins and hunters along which an intriguing origin. Also we must remember that they're secretly in the process of restoring the forgotten arcane arts, so who knows what they have hidden from the world."

"Well if someone found out what they were hiding then its not much of a secret anymore, now is it?" Ozpin's voice seemed to have a bit of worry in it as he turn his back to Scarlet and looked out the window again, his cane now in his hands.

"You do have a point Ozzy." Scarlet agreed with him as she walked around to the other side of the desk where Ozpin is and leaned against the desk, watching the sunlight illuminate the kingdom. The sight of this reminded her of the view the astrel clocktower provided as it looked over all of Yharnam. "Hey Ozzy. I never did ask you this. Why where you in Yharnam that night?"

"Simply visiting the clocktower." Ozpin replied, Scarlet wasn't buying it. "Oh come on. You mean to tell me that you chose that night of all nights to go sightseeing? Thats a load of horse shit." Scarlet leaned forward slightly while still leaning on the desk, trying to see Ozpin's face. "You went there to stop it, didn't you? But instead, you got caught up in the hunt."

Ozpin looked at the Vileblood from the corner of his eye. "If memory serves. You too were caught up in the hunt along with other black wing hunters. In fact, it seemed that you were having a joyous time."

Scarlet let out a small giggle as she smiled and shrugged her arms. "You got me. I not gonna lie thou, I had one helluva time. If I have to go into the nightmare again, I'll do it."

"Well not everyone can be excited and enthusiastic about it Scarlet." Ozpin let out yet another silent sigh as his expressions frowned again. _'And shes the current Queen of the Vilebloods. Direct descendant of Queen Annalise. I would hate to see the day if she decides to force her rule upon Remnant.'_

"But..." Scarlet continued. "I hope that I won't have to, in fact, I hope another nightmare doesn't appear. Because I would hate for my babies to live through that." Scarlet said, referring to her three kids. Kazato, Rize, and Elisa.

Ozpin let a small grin appear on his lips. Seeing that even thou she can be a ruthless Vileblood, shes still a caring mother at heart. "Don't worry. I'll make sure Remnant doesn't meet the same fate as Yharnam." Ozpin told her, his voice sounding assuring.

Scarlet chuckled as she stood up from the desk. "I'll hold you to that Ozzy. Oh yeah. By the way, there are two things I want to bring to your attention." She said as she walked away from the desk and towards the middle of the office. Ozpin raised another eyebrow. "There is more?"

"Do you remember hearing about the one who is the founder and leader of our brotherhood? The Father Hunter? Up until that night he has always been asleep, like in some kind of stasis. But when the nightmare came to an end and the Hunter's Dream vanished, he woke up."

"Hm. Strange. How long has he been asleep?"

"The hell if I know. The brotherhood has been around longer than most of the members in it. As for the second thing I want to bring to your attention is a favor."

"A favor?" Ozpin blinked.

"Yes. If you don't mind. Can my babies attend your lovely school? Pretty please?" Scarlet said that last part with her hands together in a begging gesture. "They're receiving training from the brotherhood, but I think it'll be fun for them if they go explore and learn with their peers. I assure you that they'll make fine hunters."

Ozpin thought about this for a moment. This wouldn't be the first time he personally enrolled someone into Beacon. He did just recently enroll Ruby the night she encountered Roman. Now he is curious about how the black wing hunters train their own and how they will fit in with the rest of the crowd. "Alright. I'll allow it, but only under one condition."

"Okay, anything!" Scarlet's red eyes lite up as she got into an energetic giddy mood.

"You'll inform me on anything you find that may regard Roman Torchwick, the White Fang, and Yharnam. I have an uneasy feeling that your current situation may be intertwined with ours."

"Done and done" Scarlet said in her good mood as she used her sword to open a portal. "I own you one Ozzy." She said with her usual smile before disappeared along with the portal.

Ozpin turned back around towards the glass window to that the sun has fully risen and the kingdom is now wide awake. "It is almost time. Let's see what hunters we'll receive this year."

* * *

 **AN: Thanks for reading everyone. Please favorit,e follow, or leave a review. See you in the next one.**


	4. The First Day

**AN:**

 **You walk into the shrouded sanctuary of Eden only to find neither Chronicles nor the Doll present. Instead, you see a familiar face leaning against a pillar with their arms crossed. The hunter of hunters, Eileen the Crow.**

 **Eileen: "What is it? Oh? I remember you. Heh, the last time we met I was lying bloody and battered at the doorstep of the Grand Catheral. And you killed my mark. So, what brings you here?**

 ***You tell her about the events in Remnant.***

 **Eileen: "I see. Well you saved my life once, so now is my chance to repay you. But let me ask you this one question. You just escaped one dreadful dream. Why do you want to jump into another, has the hunt finally gotten to you? Heh, I hope not because we both know what will happen. Now off you go. And remember, keep your hands clean. Hunters hunt beast.**

* * *

A young girl finds herself standing in the midst of a large crowd of unfamiliar strangers on board a passenger airship. She is around 5'2 in height. She has pale white skin, black hair with a bit of red in it, and silver colored eyes. Her attire is a black blouse, a black waist cincher with red lacing and a skirt with red trimmings. The most noticeable of her attire is a red hooded cloak she wears.

You've guessed right. This is our beloved young protagonist, Ruby Rose.

Ruby's sliver eyes widen to the size of the moon as she stood like a lost child amidst the crowd of chatting strangers. _'This can't be happening! This can't be happening! This can't be happening!'_ Ruby's thoughts continuously played through her mind.

"Oh my gosh! I can't believe that my baby sister is coming to Beacon with me!" Cheered a certain blond haired girl that caught the Silver-eyed girl in a tight hug. "This is the best day ever!" The blond cheered even more, her voice filled with excitement and delight.

Caught up in her excitement, the blond didn't realize that her little sister is struggling to breathe from within the bear hug. "Yang...please stop. You're...crushing me..." Ruby struggled out to with every last ounce of breath her had.

"Oh! Sorry Ruby." The blond named Yang Xiao Long released her little sister from her death hug and rubbed the back of her head as she tried to laugh it off. Yang's long blond hair reached to her lower back. She has pale white skin and lilac-colored eyes. She wears a tan vest with gold pipping over a yellow low-cut crop top. She also wears a brown belt with a buckle, black shorts under the belt with a white asymmetrical back skirt that covers it, and brown knee-high platform boots. "I'm just so excited that you're coming with me. Now I don't have to worry about being homesick."

"No! No! This is not what I wanted!" Ruby shut her eyes and shook her head, receiving a cocked eyebrow from her older half-sidling. "You...don't want to go to Beacon with me?" Yang asked, sounding a little heart broken.

"No-no-no! That's not it." Ruby waved her hands in front of her denyingly. "I meant by this is not how I wanted to get into Beacon."

Yang looked at Ruby with a confused on her face. "But you always wanted go to Beacon?"

"Yeah, but not like this!" Ruby looked around vigorously as she checked to see if no one around them is watching them. With that, she leaned forward, beaconing her sister to lean in closer. Which she did. "Professor Ozpin personally enrolled me into Beacon Academy, jumping me two whole years ahead." Ruby whispered to her sister.

"Ah, I see" Yang grasped what Ruby is freaking out about. "There is no need to be nervous. Look at it this way. You're the youngest person to ever attend Beacon, and thats saying something considering that Beacon isn't a school that just anyone can get into. You're the bee's knees sis."

"No-no-no-no-no-no!" Ruby vigorously shook her head and hands rejectingly. "I don't wanna be the bee's knees! I just wanna be a normal girl with normal knees!" Due to Ruby's innocent and honest personality, she seemed to completely miss the meaning of that saying. "I thought Professor Ozpin was going to give me a chance to prove that I'm able to join his school. I didn't think he'll just take me straight out my second year in Signal."

"Ruby" Yang sighed to herself as she crossed her arms. "Sometimes things just happen for a reason."

"Do you really believe that Yang?" Ruby asked her half-sister, eyes hoping that what she says is true. Yang sighed again as her eyes lowered, her thoughts going towards her mom. Raven. _'There is a reason why she left me and my dad, right?'_ "Yeah, I do."

Across from Ruby and Yang on the passenger deck, Rize is sitting in one of the lounge chairs by the large glass windows. She didn't have her black crowfeathered cloak and crow mask on. Her attire is now a black jacket with a white blouse underneath that has red outlines, a pair of jeans with a rip design, and black high-heeled boots at reach midway to her shins. She sat there with her legs crossed and resting her cheek on her right fist, watching the two for Ruby's commotion caught her undivided attention. "Geez. Youngest to attend a school like Beacon? Yeah, that will definitely get her some looks." She said to herself.

How was Rize able to hear their conversation from across the room? Well, Rize and her siblings are born with the supernatural abilities that hunters get when they drink the blood of Grimm and not transform. When a child is born from a cursed hunter, they inherit those abilities meaning that they don't have to drink the blood of Grimm to gain it. But they'll still meet the same fate as other cursed hunters if they can't control their inner Grimm. A cursed hunter's senses are enhanced. Their hearing, sight, smell, etc. So it didn't take much for Rize to hear what they were saying.

Taking her attention away from the two, Rize brought her attention to her own baby half-sister. Elisa stood at the glass window with her face and hands literally pressed against it, watching with wondrous amber-colored eyes as the airship they are on and other airships flew above Vale and made their way towards the city of Vale.

Her attire now is a collared cream top over a black shirt and over of the top former is a black article of clothing that consists of a raised collar, a strap across her her collar bone, and mid-length sleeves that are gold at end. She has on a crooked black belt with gold accents across her hips. A dark gray mini skirt came down from under her cream top, she has shorts on under them. And she has on thigh-high black stockings with a swirl design and black boots. "Wow" She said with amusement in her voice as she looked out the window.

Rize could help but chuckled at her sister's reaction. "That's right. This is your first time here. Further within Vale I mean." Elisa only nodded her head in excitement as she continued to look out the window. Rize only shook her head as she chuckled with a smile. "I don't blame her for being this excited. I was the same way when I came this far into Vale."

Kazato appeared out of the crowd of people carrying a plate with two glass cups, a bowl and a coffee mug. He sat the plate down on the table in front of the sisters. A cherry soda for him, a root beer and a bowl of vanilla ice cream for Elisa, and a cup of hot chocolate for Rize, which is her favorite. "Damn. I thought I was never going to get these." He complained about his trip to the café. His attire is a black sleeveless vest with red outlines and a white hood, he has a white shirt on underneath, black pants with a dragon insignia on the right leg, and black sneakers with the soles being red.

"What happened? Line was too long?" Rize asked her brother as she got her cup of hot chocolate.

"Like you wouldn't believe. It was so packed in there that the lines that were made for each separate cash register started to emerge together." Kazato then looked towards his youngest sister who is still looking out towards the window. "Hey little puppy. Your treats are here." He said a smug grin.

Elisa puffed her cheeks and glared at her brother from the corner of her eye. That look soon changed when she saw what is on the table. A root beer and a bowl of vanilla ice cream. Her most favorite combination in the world. Jumping with glee, Elisa made haste for the table and began eating her bowl of ice cream. She let out a moan of delight when she took the first bite. "Oh I love this stuff! Its like an overwhelming sensation on my tastes bubs." She then took a sip of her root beer, causing her let out a small squeal. "And when I take a sip of my root beer, the sensation gets stronger! Oh big brother. You know me so well."

"Yeah, I wonder how? Ice cream gluten."

Rize chuckled into her cup of hot chocolate as she took a sip. "This kingdom sure is pretty, isn't it?" Rize said as she looked out the window.

"Yeah, it is. I wouldn't mind moving out here." Kazato commented after he took a sip of his soda.

"Yeah, but it doesn't beat our village, Dusk Haven." Elisa said with her mouth full of ice cream. Rize only shook her head. "You're really comparing a kingdom to a shrouded hunter's village?"

Elisa swallowed the ice cream in her mouth before answering. "Oh come on Hedgehog. Think about how the village looks at moonlit night." Rize's eyebrow slightly twitched. Hedgehog, is the nickname their mother, Scarlet, and their uncle, Edward, would call her referring to her long wild raven black hair. She disliked the name. "Guess we'll see when night comes Little Puppy."

Giving Rize the same look she gave Kazato, Elisa puffed her cheek again with the spoon still in her mouth, glaring that her sister. Kazato only snickered in his cup, trying not to draw his sister's attention. Just then, Elisa's enhanced sense of smell caught whiff of something that made her frown and drop her spoon on the table.

"Whats wrong?" Rize asked with a look of concern as she quickly set down her coffee mug, same with Kazato. Elisa put her hand up to her mouth and nose. "Can't you guys smell that?" She asked with a disgust look. Her older siblings looked at her confused. "What are you-" Suddenly, they too caught whiff of the stomach turning smell.

"Argh! What the hell is that smell?!" Kazato frowned while covering his nose. Rize covered her nose too. "It smells like someone puked."

"Yang? Are you okay?" Came Ruby's voice which caught the sibling's attention. Yang had her hand covering her mouth and nose as well, she too smelled the snitch. "Do you smell that Ruby?"

"Smell what? I don't smell anything? What is it?" Ruby knew that Yang has always had an acute sense of smell...and hearing for that matter. There have been times where Yang could smell things that others couldn't. Like one time, for example, when Ruby was learning how to cook with her mom, Summer, she accidentally burnt a batch of cookies. Two weeks went by and Yang claims that she can still smell the faint scent of the burnt cookies, even thou no one else could smell them.

"She can smell it, why can't anyone else?" Rize said to herself. Then the sound of someone throwing up brought their attention a young man isolated in the corner hunched over a trash can. The young man had his back turned but he appeared to have blond messy hair. He had on what looked like white armor on that partially covers his upper body. Underneath the armor he has on black hoodie with detached reddish-orange sleeves, blue pants and black sneakers. This young man is Jaune Acre.

Jaune groaned in tortured agony as he vomited more into the trash can. "Ohhh! When can we get off this thing?" He asked a female flight attendant who is assisting them but also keeping his distance from the vomit. "It will be another 15 minutes sir." She responded, receiving a suffering moan from Jaune.

"That smell is making me loss my appetite." Elisa muffled underneath her hand. She picked up her spoon from table and went back the stuffing her face with ice cream.

"Well it doesn't seem to be doing much since you're still stuffing your face." Kazato said with a dull look on his face as her watched his ice cream gluten for a sister.

"I can't waste perfectly good ice cream!" Elisa argued in defense. "It's against my code!"

"What code you gluten?!" Both Kazato and Rize fired in unison.

* * *

After the long trip the airship, along with many others, docked at the edge of the great cliffs where Beacon Academy is located. After everyone boarded off the airship, the three siblings are greeted with a breath taking scenery of Beacon. The architecture of the humongous school looked kind of like a castle of some sort. "Whoa" The three siblings said in unison as they gawked in awe, slack-jawed.

"Whoa! Check out this place! It's like a palace!" Elisa said with amusement in her voice. Rize herself is also impressed by the architecture of the school. "So this is Beacon huh?"

"Have any of you wondered why mom all of a sudden wanted we to attend a school like Beacon?" Kazato asked his sisters as he watched students, both newcomers and upperclassmen, pass by in school uniforms. _'Oh great. It's a shirt and tie kind of place.'_ Kazato frowned. He never had any love for uniforms or dressing formal. He prefers keeping his wardrobe casual.

Rize shrugged her shoulders. "Something about learning and exploring with our peers. Based on what I've heard about Beacon I hope it'll provide a challenge."

Elisa scanned the area they're in, trying to get a sense of where they're supposed to go. "Shouldn't there be an information board for the new students around he-" She is suddenly cut off by the scent of something sweet and familiar. "Is that..." She is very familiar with this scent. It is her most favorite thing in the world. "A ice cream stand!" As soon as the word 'ice cream' came out of her mouth, Elisa took off like a bullet.

"Elisa wait!" Kazato yelled out to his younger energetic sister but it is no use.

"Shes going...going...aaaaand shes gone." Rize announced as the energetic blond disappeared into the crowd.

Kazato just sighed. "And she felt her bag behind." He said as he walked up to Elisa's bag and picked it up. "Well. Let's go hunt her dow-" When Kazato turned around, he notice that he was talking to an empty space. Rize is gone! "Wh-What the?!" Kazato looked around vigorously for the long raven haired girl. "Rize, not you too?!" He then looked down to notice that she too left her bags behind. Now Kazato is fuming. "Seriously?! You're just gonna ditch me with your bags?! What am I?! A damn pack mule?!" Kazato yelled angrily at the top of his lungs into the air, causing pass-byers to give him weird looks, which he didn't care. Wherever his sisters are now, if they can hear him they'll know that they're in deep shit. "I'm gonna strangle the hell out of both you when I get my hands on you!"

* * *

"Wow" Both Ruby and Yang said in unison with amazement in their voice as they gazed upon the shining Beacon. "Views of Vale got nothing on this." Yang commented on the scenery. Rudy on the other hand has entered automatic fangirl mode when one of the uppermen walked by with their hunter's weapon.

"That kid has a clubbed staff!" Ruby gasped with amazement. "That girl has a fire sword! Oh thats so cool!" At this point, Ruby is literally clinging on to Yang's arm, trying to control herself from her excitement. As we know, Ruby is a fangirl for weapons.

"Why are you getting so excited over seeing other people's weapons Rub? Aren't you happy with your's?" Yang asked her sliver-eyed sister who is slightly jumping up and down. _'Its amazing how she was freaking out just a moment ago. And now she can't sit still.'_

Rose drew out her weapon which is in sniper rifle form and transformed it into a scythe. "I am happy with Crescent Rose." Ruby hugged her sniper scythe, gun scythe, whatever you want to call it. "But I also like seeing other ones. It's like meeting new people expect more, uh, easier."

"Ruby" Yang sighed as she shook her head and put his hands on her hips. Ruby has always been in the socially awkward category. Due to her _quirks,_ it hinders her from conversing or interacting with strangers. "You'll eventually make some new friends. Just give it some time. You have a fun personality, another thing that me and you have in common."

"But why do I need friends if I have you?" Ruby asked.

"Welllll...about that." Yang began rubbing the back of her head, not making eye contact with her sister.

"Hey Yang!" Yelled out a male's voice. The two sisters brought their attention to a group of people running towards them. The group surrounded Yang. "There you are you crazy blond! We've been waiting for you! Let's go!" Said one of the females as she grabbed Yang's arm.

"Yeah my friends are here, so I gonna- Ahh!" The group dragged Yang off before she could even finish her sentence.

"Yang wait!" Ruby yelled out frantically as she watched her sister get dragged away. _'Did my sister just get kidnapped or did she ditch me?'_

Elisa is currently walking through the schoolyard with a freshly made cone of ice cream staked with three scopes. Vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry. With sprinkles. Her eyes are currently closed as she indulge herself with her sweet treat. Each bite transcending her being to blissful happiness. But little did she know, she is making a beeline straight towards an unaware Ruby, who is currently freaking out again.

"Dowegotoourdorms? Doweevenhavedorms? WhatdoIdo?" Ruby is freaking out so bad that she is unaware that the words in her speech are beginning to become jumbled together. To a point that she herself don't even understand what she is saying. Until...BAM!

"OW!"

"ARGH!"

Elisa walked straight into the back of Ruby, causing both of them to fall down.

"Ow" Both of them said in unison as they got on their knees to recover. Still holding her head, Ruby looked over to see who had bumped into her. The first thing she saw is long blond hair. "Yang?" She said to herself. But when she got a better look at the person, she realized that it wasn't Yang.

Elisa looked up to see that her ice cream cone of sweet frosty goodness had fell on the ground. This made her heart sink deeper than any sunken ship. "MY ICE CREAM! NOOOOOOOO!" She cried out in sorrow, her eyes seeming like they're about to tear up.

"Oh my gosh! I am so sorry!" Ruby immediately began apologizing to the seemingly crying blond. Elisa swiped the tears her eyes as she stood up on her feet. "No, I should be the one apologizing here. I was so busy stuffing my face that I wasn't watching where I was going."

"Really? Because my sister just left me andthisplaceissohugeIdon'tknowwheretogoand..." Ruby started her jumbled up rambling again as she attempted to example herself.

"I said it is fine. No need to get all worked up about it. It's just an ice cream cone, there is plenty more where that came from." The amber eyed girl said with a friendly smile on her face as she held out a hand to help Ruby up. _'Thats easier for you to say! That could've been the last ice cream cone on this planet and you and this girl ruined it! I hope a horse kicks both of you ice cream killing hoochies to death!'_

Without hesitating, Ruby took Elisa's hand as she is being helped up. "Thank you for helping me up." Ruby thanked Elisa as she brushed the dirt off her dress. "I'm Ruby" She introduced herself first. "Ruby Rose."

"Elisa. Elisa Cainhurst."

"Cainhurst? I've never heard a name like that before?"

"Yeah, it's a very unusual name if you ask me. But your last name sounds nice. Rose huh?" Elisa though about the nickname that her mom and Edward would call Claire because of her rosy red hair. Cherry Rose. So far, those two are the only ones who can call her that and is able to get away with it. Others not so much. Elisa started to giggle as she thought about it.

"Is there something funny about my last name?" Ruby asked with an raised eyebrow, wondering why Elisa giggled at her last name.

"Oh no no. Thats not it, I was just remembering something." Elisa told the silver eyed girl as she fought back another giggle that tried to break free. "Well Ruby, I would love to stay and chat but I gotta run. See ya!" Elisa waved as she started to run off.

"Wait! Do you know where first year students are supposed to go?" Ruby asked the blond, hoping she could at least have some insight on where to go. Elisa literally almost tripped over yourself when Ruby asked her the question. "Um..." She began looking around now realizing that she has no idea where she is. "Uh..."

Ruby caught note of Elisa's confused expression. "Wait? You're a first year?"

"Maaaybe" Elisa looked back at Ruby with a awkward smile. "This will sound like an stupid question, but do you by chance know where the auditorium is?" Ruby only shook her head and shrugged. "I'm lost too."

"Aw crap" Elisa hung her head. She did it this time. She let her lust for ice cream take over and now she is lost in place she is unfamiliar with.

"Hey don't worry. We can find a way there if we work together." Ruby said to the moping blond trying the cheer her up. Elisa lifted her head back up. "Thats not a bad idea. No use crying over spilled milk. I think they have information broads with the map of the campus, somewhere around here."

Ruby started to turn around, not keeping her eyes in front of her. "If I can remember I think I saw one at the front of the school. We can try that one- Ow!" Because she wasn't watching where she is going. Ruby walked into and fell on a cart filled with brief cases. "Oh crap! Are you okay!" Elisa ran to Ruby's aid. "Owww." Ruby groaned as she held her head.

"What do you two think you're doing?!" Came an angry female voice. Behind them stood a girl with a long white hair tied in a ponytail and her eyes are light-blue. She wears a pale blue bolero jacket with a red interior. The jacket is over a thigh-length dress of the similar color and she has on white heeled boots. This is Weiss Schnee. "Do you have any idea what those are?!" Weiss shouted in anger, unamused by the sight that these two girls had made a mess of her stuff.

"Um, aren't they suitcases?" Elisa answered Weiss's question as she picked up one of the suitcases, which Weiss's snatched from her. "Yeah they're suitcases, but I talking about what's inside!" Weiss shot at her as she opened up the suitcase.

"S-Sorry" Ruby apologized as she got up on her feet.

"Sorry isn't going to cut it if this Dust were to get damaged!"

"Hey, chill out. She said she was sorr- Wait, did you say Dust?" Elisa asked the ice queen.

"Yes! Are you brain dead?! It'ss Dust! Fire, water, lightning! Energy! Dust from Schnee inquiry!" Weiss snapped with a smart comment as she waved a bottle of red dust in front Elisa's face, the red dust releasing like a cloud in the air.

Elisa gave Weiss an unamused look to the 'brain dead' insult. "I'm well aware what Dust is." _'What is with this princess?'_ She coughed as she waved the dust from her face. Elisa wasn't taking a liking to Weiss's attitude. Yeah she understand that Ruby fell on her stuff, but it's not like she did it on purpose. Speaking of Ruby, the dust from the cloud is messing with her nose causing the urge to sneeze. Elisa was about to speak her mind until...

"Achoo!" Ruby suddenly sneezed which somehow ignited the fire dust and triggered a small explosion. The three girls coughed as the smoke cloud surrounded them. When it cleared, they clothes were covered in soot.

"Aw man! My clothes!" Elisa cried as she looked down that her soot covered clothes. "Wait a minute" Elisa took out herself scroll and switched it to selfie mode so she could see herself on the camera. When she did. Her eyes when wide with horror. Her long beautiful blond curly hair is covered with soot! "NOOOOOO!" Elisa cried out terror.

Ruby's eyes widened at what she did. "I am so sorry! I didn't know that was gonna happen!"

"You see what I mean now?!" Weiss said to a eye watering Elisa. "Sorry doesn't fix anything!" She then brought her attention to Ruby who is trying her best to calm Elisa from her crying fit. "Besides, aren't you a bit too young to be here anyway? Beacon is a combat school, not a playground! You'll just be in the way!"

"I said I was sorry Princess!" Ruby finally snapped back at Weiss.

"Heiress actually." Came another female voice. The three brought their attention to a female Fanus who walked up to the trio. The girl has long wavy black hair, amber colored eyes complemented by light-purple eye shadow flaring upwards, and pale white skin. She wears a black riddon tied on top of her head. She also wears a black buttoned vest with coattails and a white sleeveless undershirt that exposes part of her midriff, white shorts, black stockings that gradually fade to near her shoes, and black low-hell boots. Enter Blake Belladonna. "Weiss Schnee. Heiress to the Schnee mining company. The company that is in charge of all production and mining of Dust."

"Finally, some recognition around here." Weiss said with a proud look on her face, but it became short lived when Blake spoke her next words. "The same company known for their controversial labor forces and questionable business partners." She said in a blunt tone, not batting an eye at the Schnee.

Weiss didn't take kindly to Blake's choice of words. "What?! Why you..."

Ruby couldn't help but let out a snicker. Elisa, managing to get some of the soot out of her hair and off her clothes, looked over to the new addition to the conversation. The moment she didn't she instantly gasped when she saw Blake, gaining Ruby's attention. "Whats wrong? Are you okay?"

 _'Lara?'_ Elisa thought. _'No. It's not her.'_ She then snapped out of her thoughts by Ruby waving her hand in front of her face. "Elisa?"

"Oh! Y-Yeah. I'm fine." _'Who is she?'_

Not having anything to make a comeback, Weiss stormed off towards the main section of the school, admitting defeat. This time.

"That will teach her." Elisa smirked at the defeated Weiss.

"I promise I'll make it up to you!" Ruby shouted out to Weiss but the heiress didn't bother to turn around as she continued to walk off. Ruby only let out a depressed sighed. "Hey, thanks for-" Ruby turned around to thank Blake but when she did she is greeted with the sight of Blake walking away, without a saying a word.

* * *

Elsewhere on the campus of Beacon. Rize has found herself a spot on top of the roof of one of the dorms, getting a view of the area that shes in. She observed the crowd of students below, watching as they acted as a massive river flowing through the school's courtyard. She is rather impressed with the sheer size of the school, it could qualify as a city of it's own. Rize is the type of person who likes to get a feel of her surroundings, especially since shes going to be staying here for a while. Aside from that, she also wanted to get a idea of the kinds of people that are in this school. Simply put, shes the observant type.

Rize brought her attention to the clocktower, looking up at it's dizzying height as it towered over the school. "Just like the clocktower at Dusk Haven." She then brought her attention to the massive crowd below her, seeing as they all are going in the same direction. "Hm. Let's see where this crowd will take me. Perhaps it'll lead me to where I need to go."

With said, Rize proceeded on, free running from rooftop to rooftop. She always preferred traveling around cities, towns, or forest this way rather than traveling on ground. To her, it makes getting to her destination a lot easier and quicker. After a few minutes of traveling via rooftops Rize came across a large building where the students are gathering. "Is this the place?" She asked herself as she watched the students walk into the building with is the school's auditorium. Just then, she felt a warm sensation run through her blood. A sensation that she is very familiar with. She doesn't know why, but she always have this feeling whenever shes around or near her siblings, her mother, or members of the Arcana family. "This feeling. It feels like its coming from that building. It must be Kazato and Elisa because I'm sensing two of them. Wait a minute?" Rize's eye narrowed. "I'm sensing...a third? Who is it?"

Unfortunately there is no way of distinguishing who is who with this feeling, the only way is to see it herself. Looking for a way down, Rize saw some balconies leading down the dorm she is on. She hung off the edge of the roof and dropped down from balcony to balcony, using the strength in her fingers to latch on to the ledges. Almost to the ground, Rize is now on the edge of another balcony, her back facing a lamp post. With her hands gripping the rail and having her feet on the balcony she readied herself and jumped off the rail, performing a 180 degree turn, and grabbed the lamp post with her left hand, using the strength in her fingers. With the dangerous parts out of the way, she simply slide down the light pole until she touched the ground. "Well that was fun." She let out a breath of relief as she got off the light pole. Suddenly she heard applauses and whistles coming from the students who saw her risky performance. "Huh?" Rize turned around looking dumb struck.

"Hey, thats one way of getting down!"

"You're one crazy chick! You had people worried there!"

"I've never seen anyone do that!"

"Oh I can already tell this is going to be a fun year!"

In response, Rize smiled, waved, and bowed to her audience. _'Whats up with them? All I did was drop down from a dorm building, yet they act like I did something spectacular? Then again, they probably weren't raised outside the kingdoms.'_

* * *

Kazato walked into the vast wide auditorium of the school. His expression isn't one of delight, given the fact that he had to carry the bags of his sisters along with his own. "Grr. Wait until I get my hands on them. I don't know who to get after first. Elisa for running off or Rize for ditching me." Kazato looked around at the crowd of students that surrounded him. Most of them stood in large groups having conversations. Others stood by themselves, keeping their distance from others. Kazato scanned the crowd of his elusive sisters but saw no sigh of them. "Looks like they haven't made it yet." He was about to set down the bags until a warm sensation coursed through his blood. "This feeling." Kazato looked around his surrounds. "I don't know why I get this feeling when my sisters are around, but at least I know they're close."

He started to walk through the crowd of students in search of his sisters, his blood feeling warmer and warmer as he got closer. After pushing his way further into the crowd, Kazato caught sight of long blond ahead of him. Now the sensation in his blood has gotten stronger, much stronger. _'Elisa'_ Kazato thought with a devilish grin on his face. _'I hope you're not full from your ice cream because I got a treat just for you, puppy.'_

With that thought in mind, Kazato dropped the bags he is carrying as he walked up behind the blond, reaching up and putting his hand on their shoulder. _'I got you now.'_

"Huh?" The blond turned around. Kazato's eyes grew wide when he realized that this wasn't his sister.

"Um, can I help you?" Yang asked him with a cocked eyebrow. Frozen from a moment of shock, Kazato's eyes looked from Yang to his hand on her shoulder. _'Aw crap! I fucked up now!'_ "Crap!" Kazato immediately jumped back, taking his hand off of Yang's shoulder. "I am terribly sorry. I've mistaken you for someone else." _'Great! Now she probably thinks that I'm trying to pull something funny!'_ He thought with a nervous look on his face and rubbing the back of his neck, a habit he gets into when he is in a sticky situation.

"Its okay, no harm done. Accidents happen." Yang accepted the bedhead's apology without a second thought, much to Kazato's surprise. "Oh? Well...I guess we're good then." Kazato closed his eyes and let out a small breath of relief, glad that things didn't take an unnecessary turn. ' _This girl'_ He thought as he looked back to Yang who is currently scanning the crowd for her little sister. _'One of the vibes I felt earlier came from her. Why is that? Come to think of it. Weren't we on the same airship? Why didn't I feel this from her before?'_

"Hm. Where is she?" Yang said to herself after not seeing Ruby in the crowd. "Hey, haven't you by any chance seen a girl about this tall, black hair, and wearing a red hood?" Yang asked the bedhead, using her hand as a line to show measurement of Ruby's height. Kazato put his chin between his thumb and index finger as he tried to remember if he had seen anyone like that. "Nope. Can't say I have."

"Hmmm" Yang put her hands on her hips with a look of concern on her face as she looked towards the crowd. _'Maybe I shouldn't have left her on her own. I wonder if shes okay?'_

"I don't mean to break your train of thought, but have you seen a energetic blond running around with amber eyes or a girl with long wild raven black hair that covers her left eye and carrying a long sword?"

Yang checked her memory for a moment but came up with nothing. "Nope. Sorry, can't say I have. If I did I'd remember. You're looking for someone too?"

"Yeah, two sisters of mine." Kazato let a small irritated sigh.

"Oh, you have sisters too? I'm guessing you guys got separated?"

Kazato couldn't help but snicker at the question the brawler asked him. "More like they left me behind. My youngest sisters took off running after ice cream like a puppy and my second youngest sister disappeared on me. Knowing her, shes most liking exploring the campus. Wanna know the worst part? They ditched me with all of their bags." The bedhead pointed his thumb towards the pile of bags behind him.

Yang whistled at the amount of luggage Kazato had to carry. "Man that had to suck."

"Like you wouldn't believe." Kazato sighed once more. "But to tell the truth, the luggage wasn't all that bad. What about you and your sisters? Did they ditch you too?" Kazato asked, remembering when Yang said 'You have sisters too?'

"I only have one sister." Yang said while holding up a finger. "As for how we got separated...I...uh..." Yang began scratching the back of her head, trying to think of something else to say other than 'I kinda ditched my little sister.'

As she is trying to think of what say, Kazato started to have that warm feeling in his blood again. The bedhead immediately scanned his surroundings. _'Is it my sisters? Or someone else? Whoever it is, they're close.'_ Yang then started to feel the same warm sensation come over her as she tugged on her scarf a little bit. "Phew"

"You okay there?" Kazato asked out of concern. The brawler nodded. "Yeah, I just feel a little warm all of a sudden. I thinks it because this place is packed with people, you know?"

"Hm. Makes sense." Kazato agreed with her assumption as he went back to scanning the crowd, completely missing the fact that Yang felt the sensation the same time he did. _'Hm. I don't see anyone.'_ Suddenly, someone karate chopped Kazato in the back of the head causing him to shout in pain. "OW!" Using his reflexes, he reached back and grabbed the hand of the unknown person. "Who the hell did that?!"

When he turned around he is met with the smiling face of his second youngest sister, Rize. Rize smiled with her eyes closed as she waved to her brother. "Hey bro- Wha?" She is suddenly pulled to her brother and got punched in the top of her head. It wasn't a hard punch. Just enough to inflict a bit of pain. "Thats for ditching me hedgehog!"

Rize held the top of her head with both of her hands, groaning in pain.

"Whoa" Yang said to herself with a surprised expression.

"Kazato" Rize growled. "Brothers are not supposed to hit their little SISTER!" Rize swung a punch at her brother which his ducked to dodge. "Don't dodge me! You're just gonna make it worse!" Rize yelled as she continued to try and hit Kazato.

"Shes one of your sisters?" Yang asked while attempting not to snicker at the scene they're making.

"Yeah, this is my boneheaded..."Kazato ducked a punch from Rize before continuing. "...sister." Frustrated, Rize only stuck out her tongue and made a face at the bedhead. Yang couldn't help but snicker. She can tell that they must be close. "Well speaking of which, here comes mine. Hey Ruby! Over here!" Yang waved her little sister over. Ruby had walked into the auditorium building with Jaune and Elisa. The three of them were apparently engaged in conversation.

"Elisa!" Rize waved Elisa over as well.

"Sorry Jaune, but we gotta go. We'll catch you later." Ruby said as sher departed form the trio.

"See ya, knight guy." Elisa called him by the nickname she gave him because of his armor attire along with his shield and sword.

"Hey wait!" He called out to the two girls but they were long gone. The blond haired boy sighed. "Great. Now where am I supposed to find two nice quirky girls to talk to?"

"Elisa, you're a mess. What happened?" Rize asked her sister. Elisa started to rub the back of her head. "Well, you see..."

"I blew up in front of the school!" Came Ruby's voice from her and Yang's conversation. "Whoa, meltdown already?" Yang asked, actually surprised at the thought of Ruby losing her temper. Ruby shook her head. "No, I literally exploded in front of the school. There was fire and I think some ice..."

Elisa pointed towards Ruby. "Yeah, what she said.

"How did you exploded in front of the school? " Kazato asked his sister with a confused look. Right now, he isn't thinking about wringing Elisa's neck for running off earlier.

"Well, she tripped over some-"

"You!" Came Weiss's anger voice which cut Elisa off. Scared for her life, Ruby literally jumped into Yang's arms. "Oh god! It happening again!

"Who's the princess?" Rize asked as they watched Ruby helplessly get verbally bashed by Weiss.

"I think her name is...um...Whis? Or something that starts with the letter W. Apparently, shes a member of the Schnee family."

"Wait, did you say Schnee?" Rize blinked with surprise along with Kazato. "A Schnee? Attending school outside of Atlas? Thats something you don't hear everyday." Kazato added. Members of the Schnee family usually attend the academies in Atlas because of the advance military technology and other reasons. The fact that one of them is attending Beacon is unheard of.

"Here" Weiss said with annoyance in her voice as she handed out a pamphlet for Ruby.

"W-Whats this?" Ruby asked the heiress with a confused look.

"The Schnee Dust Company is not held responsible for any injuries caused by the use of our Dust products along with..." As Weiss continued to lay down the company's policies, Ruby started to become lost, unable to grasp what Weiss is telling her. "Um..."

"You're still gonna make stuff up to me now?"

"I said was sorr-"

"I don't care about your apology! Just take this and don't talk to me again!" Weiss shoved the pamphlet into Ruby's hand and turned her back to her with her arms crossed.

 _'Geez, what a bitch!'_ Both Kazato and Rize thought in unison. Both Yang and Elisa were going to say something until an unfamiliar young female voice with a British accent beat them to the punch. "Of course. Leave it to the Schnees to not take responsibility for the errors of their products."

"What?" Weiss brought her attention to a young girl who appears to be in her late teens. She has pale white skin, light blond hair that has a braided ponytail tied in the back and have bangs hanging down both side of her face, rosy pink colored lips, and seemingly glowing purple eyes that are slanted. Her features look reminiscent to Lady Maria's but much younger.

She wears a hat that looks similar to the hat of a hunter with a small white feather on the side of it. She wears a white blouse underneath a black coat with a red interior and a coattail. A small black cape with a red interior is attached to the back of her right shoulder. Lastly, she has on black trousers with black knee high heeled boots.

The girl stood there with her arms crossed and a straight look on her face as she locked eyes with Weiss. "You speak so highly of your products and accept the praise you receive for them. Yet when something unfortunate happens you refuse to step up to the plate. Thats makes the Schnees look like a bunch of irresponsible children rather than a high class family."

"What was that?! Just who are you anyway?!" Weiss beamed a glare at the light blond haired girl who just kept a straight face.

 _'Seemingly glowing purple eyes and at same vibe'_ The Cainhurst siblings thought in unison. "Excuse me" Elisa called out to the girl, gaining her attention. "Are you...an Arcana?"

"An Arcana?" Weiss looked at Elisa and back to the girl, the name being very familiar to her.

The girl's eye widened slightly, not excepting for a random person to know what family she belongs to. "Yes. I am. I'm Lucilia. Lucilia Bronwen Arcana-"

"Ohh? That explains a lot." Weiss cut her off. "Only someone from the Arcana family would intentionally cause problems, especially with my family."

Lucilia raised an eyebrow. "Cause trouble? If memory serves, aren't you the one terrorizing that innocent young girl in the red hood?" She gestured to Rudy. Rudy and Yang looked at one another.

Weiss crossed her arms as well. "How can you be one hundred percent sure that I'm terrorizing her? Do you even know what transpired that lead to this? No. You're with dim-wittingly involving yourself in something that doesn't involve you."

"You know? You would've won this argument if I hadn't seen what transpired. But unfortunate for you, I have."

"Wait? You saw what happened?" Ruby asked Lucilia which she received a nod in response.

"I would say just about everyone passing by saw that minor explosion, but before that the whole ordeal started with you tripping over her precious Dust." Lucilia then brought her attention back to Weiss. "Its pretty common for Schnees to get huffy puffy over their precious Dust, so don't worry too much about it. The only reason why I've decided to make my voice heard is because I can't stand the sight of the Schnee's prideful attitudes and behaviors."

Weiss shot the Arcana a death glare. "And you think the Arcanas are any different?! I can't tell you how many times I've the same exact characteristics in members of your family!"

Lucilia slightly twitched an eyebrow but tied to contain herself. "I...admit that those characteristics seems to _lurk_ within my family, but we're not half as bad as you Schnees. Moral-wise and business-wise."

"Business-wise?!"

"Ahem" Came a man's voice on the microphone, bringing the heated argument to an abrupt end. Every eye in the auditorium brought their attention towards the headmaster of the school, Professor Ozpin, who is on the stage and is accompanied by Glynda Goodwitch who is standing to his left. "I'll...keep this brief." Ozpin said as he adjusted his glasses. "You are here today to further develop your skills and knowledge in hunting the Creatures of Grimm, therefore molding you into Remnants next generation of hunters. But...when I look at you, all I see is wasted energy, potential you have yet to tap into. But worry not. For when we're done with you, you'll be the finest huntsmen and huntresses Remnant has ever seen. Now..." He continued as he stepped back from the microphone. "Ms. Goodwitch will get you further instructions."

With that said, Glynda stepped up to the microphone and spoke. "You will gather in the ballroom. Tomorrow is your initiation so be ready. You're dismissed." With that being said, she and Ozpin walked off the stage and everyone started to leave the auditorium.

"So thats Professor Ozpin, headmaster of Beacon Academy." Rize said aloud.

"He seemed...off. Like he wasn't there." Yang added in. Both Lucilia and Weiss exchanged each other looks before walking away without a word.

* * *

It is now night time in the Kingdom of Vale. The afternoon sunlight has faded from the kingdom and the darkness of the night had returned upon the school of Beacon. In the ballroom, the first year students gather. Picking their spots and setting up their sleeping bags, getting themselves settled in for the night.

The Cainhurst siblings formed a triangle next to a large window with their stuff, the moonlight shining upon them. Rize sat on her sleeping bag reading her favorite book in the moonlight, with her back facing the the crowd. Elisa is sitting with her back against the window, holding her pillow covering her chest some some strange reason, and Kazato is lying on his back playing a online MMORPG game on his scroll. Remnant Online.

Elisa frowned with disgust as she clinched onto her pillow that is covering her chest. "I would feel a lot more comfortable if the boys would stop staring at my chest." Disgust lacing her voice.

"Why do you think I have my back turned to them?" Rize commented as she is reading her book. "Some guys don't know how to be sly and smooth when they're checking out a female. A few of them were looking at me so hard earlier that they ran into a wall."

Elisa could help but snicker, they did the same thing to her. "I guess its kinda like the same thing with mom." Rize looked up from her book to give her sister a raised eyebrow. "This is not even close to what guys are willing do for mom."

"Yeah, they're willing to spill blood for her." Kazato added in, not looking away from his scroll, the lighting shining on his face.

"What? Really?" Elisa blinked. Rize only shook her head. "Thats what Uncle Edward and Jacob told us. But I have seen them fight for a piece of her. Makes me wonder, how did our dads get lucky?"

"Hey, just remember this. They can look at you all they want, but if one of them touch you either you're breaking their arms or I will." Kazato sounded sincere, being the protective brother he is.

"Helloooo!"

"Yang, stop pulling! Let me go!" Came two female voices. The sibling looked to see Yang pulling Ruby towards the area were Blake is, who is currently sitting next to a candle and reading a book.

"Its that girl again." Elisa said, looking towards Blake.

"What about her?" Rize asked her sister, seeing that there is a look of curiosity on her face. "You mean you didn't notice?" Elisa replied as if something about Blake is supposed to be obvious. "Look at her again but closely this time."

Rize took another look at Blake. She didn't notice anything at first until she saw it. "What the?"

"You see it now?" Elisa asked which she got a nod from Rize.

"She looks like Lara."

"Did Lara ever say anything about having a twin sister or a daughter?" Elisa asked with curiosity lacing her tongue. Rize shook her head. "No, she didn't. In fact, Lara never talks about her past or family to anyone, not even us." While the two sisters are discussing about the fanus who looks like one of their mentors, Kazato has his attention on Yang. Not a lustful kind of attention, but one of curiosity and a bit of confusion.

"Kazato? Kazato!" Elisa called to her zoned out brother, shaking him.

"What?! What?!"

"We were calling you four times. What are you staring at?" Rize asked he brother.

"Well..." Kazato's eye shifted back to Yang.

Rize looked towards the direction of where he is looking and formed a cheeky grin. "Ohhhh. I see. You have a little thing for the blond you were talking to earlier."

"Huh?" Kazato's cheeks turned slightly pink. "No, thats not it. Can't you feel it? That vibe coming from her?"

"How that you mention it. I can also feel it too." Elisa confirmed having the feeling too. "It feels like a connection. Like the same connection I feel whenever I'm around or near you guys, mom, or the Arcana family."

"Not only that. I can also smell the scent of the moon on them, especially the girl with the silver-eyes. Her's appears to be the strongest". Rize gestured towards Ruby.

"Scent of the moon? Does that mean they're like us?" Elisa questioned. Her sister shook her head in response. "I don't think so. I don't sense a Grimm presence within them. So I can't tell if they're cursed hunters that are naturally born."

"Yeah, I can smell it too. Plus, they're not the only ones grabbing our attention." Kazato brought his attention towards Lucilia who is sitting next to a nearby window, reading a book of her own. "Shes giving off that same vibe as well."

"Well she said that shes an Arcana. So not too much of a surprise." Elisa yawned as she lied down on her sleeping bag. "I'm gonna turn in early and try to go to sleep. Wanna be well rested for a fun day tomorrow."

"Yeah, I think its about time I crashed." Kazato said as he signed out of his account on Remnant Online and turn his scroll off.

"Well said." Rize placed a bookmark on where she left off in her book before closing it. "Night"

* * *

Hours have passed since all of the students have went to sleep, except for a certain three who are currently having trouble doing so. Elisa tossed and turned on her sleeping bag, trying her best to succumb to the embrace of sleep, but sleep never came. "Hey guys." She whispered. "Are you awake?"

"No" Rize whispered back with sarcasm as she rolled over to face her sister. "This is getting rough. I don't feel my eyes getting heavy at all."

"Count the sheeps. Count the stars in the sky. That'll help." Kazato whispered to his sisters while he on his back with his eyes closed. Rize gave him a dull look. "You know that never works Kazato."

"What do we do? At this rate, we'll be tried in the mourning." Elisa seemed a little worried that they'll be dragging around in the mourning. A cheeky grin appeared on Rize's lips. "There is only one thing we can do on restless nights. We hunt."

Elisa's eyes grew wide with delight and excitement when she heard the word 'hunt'. Kazato's eyes shot open out when he heard it too. "Wait, hold on guys." He rolled over to face them. "You can't be serious about that? We don't even know what time they'll get us up."

"Okay, if you don't want to go then Elisa and I will go be ourselves."

"No way. I'm not having that." Kazato then sighed. "Alright, I tag along."

"Oooh! This is going to be so fun!" Elisa cheered in a low voice.

After the three got their crow feathered cloaks and crows masks out of their bags, they silently crept through ballroom and towards the main door. Ruby happened to wake up to the sight of three black figures creeping pass her. Rubbing her eyes from sleep she looked up to see the ballroom door slowing closing without making a sound. "Who...was that?" She asked herself, still under the spell of sleep.

She got up, made her way to the door, and cracked it up. She saw nothing but a dimly lit hallway that the ballroom is on. _'Was it just my imagination?'_ Suddenly she felt a hand touch her left shoulder which made her jump out of her skin. Ruby turned around to see that it is a half-awake Yang. Due to her acute sense of hearing, she heard the door close.

"Ruby, what are you doing up at this time of night?" The sleepiness can be heard in her voice.

"I thought I saw someone leave the ballroom."

Yang took a peek out in the hallway but saw nothing but dim lighting and darkness. "There iss no one out here Rub." Yang pulled her head back in the ballroom. "Come on. Let's go back to sleep"

The Cainhurst siblings silently traveled through the grand hallways of the school, traveling by shadows. Elisa traveled on the rafters above remaining in crouch postilion while Rize and Kazato remained on the floor.

Kazato could help but chuckle, they're actually sneaking out of school. Claire and Saya won't be happy about this if they found out. Especially Claire. Elisa opened a high window that leads outside. Due to hear acute hearing, she can hear footsteps coming down the hall. "Guys! Someone's coming!" She whispered but not too loud since they can hear her due to their hearing as well.

A guard, who is patrolling the campus, came around the corner and onto the hallway they are on. The guard shined his flashlight as he walked and scanned the hallway. Directly above him, Kazato is hanging upside down on a chandelier while holding on to Rize.

Kazato felt a sweat running down his forehead.

"Kazato, you better hold it." Rize told her brother, fearing that the sweat drop might hit the guard. "How the hell can I hold a sweat?" Eventually the guard processed onwards down the hall. The siblings let out a breath of relief.

"Alright Kazato, swing me to that rafter over there.

"You got it." Kazato complied as he and Rize became swinging on the chandelier, using their weight to gain momentum. "Don't worry about me dying." Rize said with sarcasm.

"Tch. Yeah right. You're too stubborn to die." With that said, he let go of Rize as she swung to the rafter and caught on to it using the strength in her fingers.

"Hey, we're actually pretty good that this stuff." Kazato commented on their performance so far.

"That what happens when one of your mentors is both a hunter and an assassin." Rize replied as she got on the rafter. After making it to the open window where Elisa is, the three looked outside the window seeing the school in moonlit night along with a shade of emerald green casted by the illuminating green light of the clocktower.

Elisa stretched in relief in the crescent moonlight. "The moon feels just as good as the sun and the scent smells soooo good. The night air is cool and crisp, a perfect night for hunting."

"Where do we go from here?" Kazato asked Rize since it was her idea to go hunting.

"There is a place near the school called the Emerald Forest. I heard that it has some nasty kinds of Grimm. Well then my siblings..." Rize said with her back turned to the window and facing them, the moonlight shining pass her. "Let's hunt" With that, she fell backward out of the window. Using her supernatural abilities to turn into a flock of crows that scattered through the night.

* * *

 **AN:**

 **Eileen the Crow: "So how was the dream? I see, so not much happened so far, that's good. For now. This world, Remnant they call it now, is approaching its dark reality. The people don't see it know, but its lurking. The beast, I think they call them Grimm now, are only there to remind them of the world they live in. Unlike the huntsmen and huntresses, that brotherhood, the Black Wing Hunters, I think they're the only one who are aware of this. *Sighs* At least I'm glad that after these years they have not abandoned they duty, as a hunter and a hunter of hunters. Even though there is no honor in it. Anyway. Follow, leave behind messages, or do whatever it is you do on this uh…** ** _'website'_** **that Chronicles call it. And try to keep your hands clean."**


	5. Successor to the Moon, Summer Rose

**AN: Hey fellow hunters. I'm back again with another chapter. This chapter takes place on the same night chapter 4 ended and there will be a lot of flashbacks. But before we get on with the story. I want to have a talk with you guys. You and me. Reader to author. Before I begin, I want to state at I AM NOT fussing, chewing, nor lecturing you guys. So the things I'm about say are in no way to target anyone. This may be lengthy, so please bear with me. Now, this happened right after I posted chapter 4, which I really appreciate you guys for tuning in. An individual told me that the stuff introduced in chapter 2 was 'too much'. Raven being on the enemy side was 'too much'. Having an airship fleet appears during the operation, that belongs to a non-canon company and is meant to be attacked, was 'too much'. Introducing an OC who is related to Blake somehow and being a Hunter was 'too much.'**

 **Their reason? "There wasn't _enough_ build up too it." And this is on the SECOND chapter, still at the beginning of the story. May I put out there that chapter 2, and 3 since it is part 2 of chapter 2, were written to introduce the Brotherhood, a few characters, and mostly importantly, the threat. This individual then gonna tell me that a chapter learning about the Brotherhood and it's characters, along with the OC antagonists would've been _better._**

 **Apparently, they expected me to throw a information dump before I do anything. Especially when I introduced Lara. Let's see, did Rooster Teeth foreshadow about Sune and Neptune showing up? No. Did they foreshadow Winter and James Ironwood making their appearance? No. What about Salem's appearance at the end of vol.3 or the new villains in vol.4? See what I mean? You can't always foreshadow on every character's appearance. As for Raven being on the enemy side. The show clearly implies that Raven isn't on the good side. I wouldn't be surprised if Raven is working for Salem. It's already been theorized that Cinder is working for Salem. But it seems that Rooster Teeth does more foreshadowing in their songs rather than the show, which many MANY people miss. I'm not attacking them on that idea, I think it's genius. It'll make people pay closer attention to their work.**

 **Anyway, I'm going to put out there that this individual isn't even a writer. They've never written a single story for this website. With that said, its clear that this person probably doesn't know how writing a story goes. By that I mean they probably know the basic things needed for a story like plot, character, conflict, theme, settings, and climax. But from the way they presented their _argument_ , it seems that they don't know what it's like to put together and write a story. If they did, then they would know how exhausting and frustrating build up can be sometimes and that too much can make the story drag. Most stories usually introduce before building up, some do it backwards. For those of you who are writers, you probably understand where I'm coming from and that everyone's story is written differently. Maybe some of you readers have an idea of where I'm coming. It's like someone who read and studied about vehicles trying to tell a mechanic, who has years of experience of working with vehicles, how to fix a car. **

**Anyway, the stuff that happened in chapter 2 & 3 were just minor things and introductions. But some of them do have a place in the story, Lara Belladonna being one of them. This individual treated it like it was something major like what Ruby did at the end of Vol.3. You can say something about that because Rooster Teeth had three seasons to foreshadow and build up to that, but they didn't. Now which is worse, introducing something you had three seasons the build up on? Or introducing something in the second chapter, still at the beginning of the story? But like I said, everyone's story is written differently. Also, somehow my questions asking about the chapter made me come off as a 'douche' to them, saying that it was an personal issue they have. Just know that when I ask questions, I'm not trying to be a jackass saying you can't see what is going on. I'm just merely trying to see if my audience caught on to what I'm doing. Since people barely leave reviews, I thought that asking questions might encourage them to say something. Yeah you're reading the story but you can't always catch everything. I sometimes miss things when reading a story and then go back to try and find it. I know that communication is a critical thing and I try to choose my words wisely when writing my author's note. I understand that people perceive things differently, but that doesn't give the right to call someone a 'douche' and not have a convincing reason to back it up, especially if it's an _personal issue_. I don't mean to sound racist, but the word 'douche' makes someone sound like a little ass white kid.**

 **With all that aside and I informed you on the reason why I type this, I gonna put this out there. I don't expect everyone to like how I do things, but if you don't like how I'm writing the story then just leave without a word. Be a ghost. Its better than just leaving a negative message. Constructive criticism I'll accept. But complaining and being petty about minor stuff that doesn't have a big affect on RWBY nor Bloodborne, such as a new character's appearance, is one thing that irritates me. Also, I'm not going to spoon feed the information all at once to someone. You will learn as the story goes on, but I will start you off with a general idea, like I did with the Brotherhood. There is so much about them that I can't just give it all at once.**

 **Anyway, sorry for the lengthy author's note. I just had to be 100% with you guys.** **I'm pretty sure most of you skipped this but if you read it, then thank you for sticking around. Please enjoy the story.**

* * *

Raven enjoyed herself a hot shower, feeling the hot relaxing water run down her pale white skin. After a while, she turned the shower off and stepped out. She dried off with a towel and wrapped it around her waist, her long wet hair resting over her breast. She is currently spending the night at an inn in a town somewhere in the Kingdom of Mistral. When she walked out of the bathroom she stood in front of a tablet with a mirror that is against a wall.

She looked at her reflection in the mirror, as if she's studying herself. She lifted up her right hand, seeing that the deep cut on her thumb inflicted from her Chikage had already healed. No scars or marks left behind. "Figures" She said as she looked down that the table, seeing three empty blood vials sitting there. She never could found out why, but whenever she ingests blood her body heals that an exponential rate. Not only that, it even quickly replenish the blood that she sacrificed to her Chikage.

Raven looked at her hand, eyes gazing upon her pale white skin. _'Aura is nothing but spiritual energy, a person's life force. I know that it can heal minor injuries, acts as a protective shield and perform other things. But this...this feels different. It always has. Could this be something my body developed from the years I've trained under Scarlet?'_ Raven joined the Black Wing Brotherhood at a young age shortly before attending Beacon, which she hid from Qrow.

Scarlet took an interest in Raven, saying that she had _potential_. What she meant by potential? Others thought she was talking about her having the potential to be a hunter. Raven can still remember the night she first encountered Scarlet and the brotherhood as if it was yesterday.

 **Flashback Begin**

Two younger teenagers, around the ages of fifteen, walked a dirt covered road that leads to their village. These two teenagers are none other than Raven and Qrow Branwen. It is the dead of night, the temperature of the weather outside is a bit cool, and a full luminous moon hung in the night sky. Providing it's ray of moonlight to light the way for the siblings. The air is filled with a dead eerie silence. The only sounds that can be heard are their footsteps on the dirt road.

"I know mom and dad are worried sick about us being out this late." Raven said as she helped her brother haul a deer that they hunted on a wooden wagon.

"Yeah well, if we make it back safe and we don't run into the monsters that are eating everyone, I'm sure things will turn out fine. Plus, we're hauling back a prize. I'm sure dear ol'pop will give us the slip." Qrow told his sister, who gave him a dull look. "It doesn't work that way Qrow and you've forgotten about mom. They're always telling us not to be outside at night, especially out this late. So I know for sure that they're worried sick and furious."

"I know but I wouldn't worry too much about it. Remember those three hunters who came to our village? They relentlessly hunted down and killed every single Grimm that was lurking inside and around our village. Two weeks have passed and no one was attacked or eaten. So things should be fine." Qrow replied back.

"I don't think they got all of them Qrow. Haven't you notice? Those hunters stayed in the village even after they've killed most of the Grimm in the area. I think they're still hunting."

"Look Rav. They're probably just taking a breather. They've been active through the night and most of the day."

For the past few weeks, the village they live were having an situation with recent Grimm attacks. So the village made a rule to stay in doors after sunset, since the Grimm are mostly active at night. But unfortunately, some people were caught outside and...well...you can guess what happens. This _method_ seemed to work and kept the villagers alive until...one night a Grimm broke into a couples home and killed them. Why? The couple got into a heated argument over an subject. Since the Grimm are drawn to negative emotions...

After that tragic incident, the village cried out for help. They wanted to be independent but they know that they don't stand a chance against the Creatures of Grimm. Luck of them, the brotherhood was the first to answer their call. The brotherhood sent a trio, a party of three hunters to handle the situation and they are the only ones allowed outside after sunset. Each night the hunters would hunt for Grimm, they would even set out during the day to see if there were any near by dens. A couple weeks went by and no attacks had occurred, the village rested easily, but the hunters never left.

As the two continued to walk along the dirt road, they saw something. Ahead of them is a large boulder and next to the boulder is something that appears to be sitting on the ground next leaning against it. It was dark outside so they couldn't see some or what it was. The two Branwen siblings slowed down their pace as they got closer to the mysterious figure. Raven gripped the handle of her dagger that is on her left side while Qrow prepared himself to quickly pull out his machete which is on his back.

As they got closer, they noticed that it was an man. A homeless looking one at that. His appearance looked dirty. All he had on were a pair of ragged pants. The man heard the sound of footsteps approaching and looked up to see the teens about to pass by.

"Hey excuse me." The man spoke out to them as they continued to walk. "Do you by chance have anything to spare for an tired homeless fellow? Like some water, some food, or maybe a little bit of change?"

Raven shook her head. "I'm sorry sir, but we don't have anything on us." She wasn't lying. They were just as broke as he is. The only thing they have of value to them is the deer they're hauling back, which their not giving up.

"Are you sure?" The man asked.

"We would be more than happy to offer you something sir, if we had anything." Qrow replied.

"Oh? I see. Well thats a pity." The man said, sounding disappointed.

"We're really sorry. You really should find a safe place for the night, its not safe to be sitting around out here." Raven said as she and Qrow kept walking.

The man smirked. "Oh you don't need to worry about me. The Grimm don't bother me, in fact, you should worry about yourselves right now." He said as he started to get up. The siblings, now a few feet away from him, stopped walking and turned around. A confused look on their faces.

"What do you mean by that?" Qrow asked the man confused. The man's smirk grew into a grin. "You say that its not safe to be sitting around out here yet here you are, out after sunset. Didn't your parents warn you about what would happen if you're out this late?" The man said as he started chuckling. The Branwen siblings got a uneasy feeling from this guy. Something in their heads were screaming at them, telling them to drop everything and run.

"The children of man are much like their parents and forebears. They can't even bring themselves to help an ol'begger. So they say that they have nothing and give their meaningless apologizes."

"What are you talking about? We told you. We don't have any food, water, or money." Qrow told the man as he reached for her machete.

"Oh I understand that, you're just kids. But thats not what I'm referring to." Sick cracking sounds can be heard coming from the man's body. "You could've a least offered that deer or perhaps...your flesh." His body started to transform right before the siblings very eyes. His teeth became fangs, his nails became long and sharp, his body began to take a different form as he became taller and big. Now standing in front of them is a monstrous Adhorrent Beast with hair flowing from its body, as if it is alive but there is no electricity flowing, and piercing red eyes. "You humans are sick puppies." The beast said in a beastly distorted voice.

"W-What is that?!" Raven yelled.

"Move!" Qrow shouted as he and Raven barely managed to dodge roll out of the way as the beast ran at them with terrifying speed, crushing their wagon with the deer on it. "You want the deer?! Take it!" Qrow yelled that the beast.

"The deer is not what I want, dear boy." The beast said is it started to walk up to Qrow, who has his machete out, trembling. Suddenly, the beast felt someone jump on it's back followed a sharp stabbing pain. Raven had stabbed her 9 inch dagger in the beast's back. The beast grunted in pain as it swung it's arms, trying the shake Raven off.

"Raven!" Qrow shouted, seeing his sister on the beast's back. The beast managed to grab Raven by her leg and threw off, causing her to hit the ground rolling until she hit a rock. Raven got on her hands and knees, trying to recover. She hit her head, so her is disoriented and her vision is blurred.

"Have you got a screw loose? Or is it your...animal intuition" The beast said as it stood over an disoriented Raven. "Get away from her you son of a bitch!" Qrow shouted an anger mixed with fear as he ran in behind the beast and slashed deep into it's back, causing it a growl in pain. The beast turned around with a swing of it's arm, hitting Qrow and sending him flying straight into a rock, causing a sicken crack to be heard. He is unconscious.

"QROW!" Raven screamed as she stumbled to her feet. Her head is bleeding a pounding and she feels off balanced. Raven knew that if she doesn't do something this monster will kill her brother. Raven winced in pain as she touched her forehead with her right hand. When she looked at her blood covered hand, she started to feel a strange feeling welling within her. Her red eyes started to glow. She couldn't explain it, but her body felt...different. Like a rush of energy or adrenaline. The pain she is feeling faded away and above all...she had this sudden overwhelming urge to make this monster bleed."

Picking up Qrow's machete from the ground, Raven ran towards the beast with speed she never knew she had. The beast can hear Raven coming, so it turned around a fast swing with its arm. But this time Raven dodged by ducking under it and moving in, delivering a deep slash to the beast's side with the machete. The beast cried out at how much pain Raven inflicted.

"Argh! What?! Where did you get that speed and strength from?!" The beast said with surprise clearly in it's voice. The sight of blood coming from the beast made Raven want to see it bleed more. In a attempt to kill her instantly, the beast lifted it's right claw and brought it down toward Raven. Raven quickstepped to the right, dodging the claw and getting behind the beast, she jumped on it's back stabbed it. The beast screamed out in more as it tried get Raven off. Raven pulled the machete out of it's back, moved to another spot to avoid it's claws and stabbed it again."

"Argh! Why you little!" The beast managed to grab Raven with it left claw and slam her to the ground. Naturally, a person would die after being slammed by a beast. Raven, in her case, only received a few fractured bones. She screamed in agony from the impact of the blow.

"What? You're still alive? No normal human would survive that? Are you even human at all?" The beast questioned on how Raven survived the impact. Raven said nothing as she just glared at the beast with her glowing red eyes.

"Those eyes, what are you? Grr, it doesn't matter anyway because in the end your efforts were all worth not." The beast said as it lifted it right claw to finish Raven off. Before it could bring it's claw back down, a red flash suddenly appeared, cutting it's arm off. The beast screamed in pain as it stumble back a few feet. Placing it's left hand/claw where it's right arm use to be.

"What...just..." Raven said to herself after seeing the red flash. The next thing she sees is a woman with long wild raven black hair wearing a black hooded crowfeathered cloak and a crow mask. It is Scarlet.

"Well well. Its about we found you. I kinda had fun with your game of hide and seek but I can't say the same about the others." Scarlet said in a cheery tone as she took off her crow mask, revealing her face.

"A hunter!" The beast growled in fury. "How did you manage to find me?! I made sure my presence was concealed!"

Scarlet stuck her muramasa blade in the ground as she leaned against it. "Well, would it make you happy if I told you that it wasn't your presence that lead me here."

"What? What was it then?!"

Scarlet said nothing as she looked back at a barely conscious Raven. Their red eyes meeting.

 _'Shes...one of the hunters.'_ Raven thought when she saw the side of Scarlet's face. The beast snarled. "The girl lead you here?!"

"Not just her, I've also sensed that other one over there." Scarlet motioned towards an unconscious Qrow. "But since he is asleep right now, his vibe is pretty weak." She then brought her attention back to her prey as she took her sword out of the ground. "But none of that really matters to you since you're going to be slaughtered. You kept yourself in human form to conceal your presence and you feast on the villagers undetected. Surely you were aware of the risks of transforming, right? As always, beasts fall short due to their negligence."

The beast snarled. "You hunters have more blood on your hands! You drink the blood of Grimm and your own kind, and you talk of beast?! You hunters are the real killers!"

"Awww. Are you comparing us to you just to make your actions justifiable?" Scarlet taunted the beast in a condescending tone. Outraged from her insulting taunt, the beast let out a deafening roar, electricity coursing through it's body.

"Oh? What do you know. It's an DarkBeast."

The beast lunged at the Vileblood, swinging wildly at her with it's remaining arm. Scarlet dodged the monster with effortless ease. Winking and making face as she did. "DIE!" The beast shouted in anger. "DIE, DIE! Hunters are killers, nothing less! And you call me a beast?! A beast?! What do you know? I didn't ask for this." At that moment, Scarlet moved pass the enraged beast, faster than the eye could see. Now standing a few feet behind the beast with her back turned and her Chikage in it's sheath.

"Oh but you did sweetie. Have you heard of 'You reap what you sew'? Well I'm your Reaper." Scarlet said with a grin. As the beast fell the ground. "Rancid beast. Every last one of us." Were the beast's last words before it fell lifeless to the ground, it's body splitting in half.

"Well that was interesting. I've never came across one that shape shift and talk." Scarlet said to herself as she walked over to Raven who is barely hanging on to consciousness. Scarlet sat on her heels when she got next to Raven. "I saw what you did young lady and I have to say that you took me by surprise. I see potential in you."

"Who...are..." Raven started as she struggled to stay conscious.

"Scarlet" Came man's voice. Two hunters came running from the direction of the village. When they saw the dead beast they knew what happened. "You've taken care of the one that was hiding?"

"Yeah, it was shape-shifter. It stayed in human form to conceal it's presence, so it can feed right under our noses." Scarlet said as she took out two blood vile and tossed one to one of the hunters, which they caught. "Give the sleeping young man over some of that blood vile. Then we're taking them back to the village for medical attention." Giving a nod, the hunters went to aid Qrow while Scarlet stayed with Raven, taking the top off the blood vile she is holding.

"Here. Drink a little bit of this. It'll help you feel better until we get back to the village. And when you're healed, seek me out if you want to learn how to fight Grimm."

* * *

A few years have passed since that night. Raven, now age 17, is walking the streets of the Shrouded Hunter's Village, Dusk. Or also known as Dusk Haven, home of the Black Wing Hunters. The village looked more like a town. A town obscured in a location somewhere in Remnant. The town's architecture has a Gothic Victorian feel to it. It looks reminiscent to Yharnam but much smaller than the city itself. Which is why some call it 'Little Yharnam".

It is late in the afternoon and the sun is setting beyond the horizon. Raven walked the cobblestone streets of the town filled with hunters while in search of her mentor and teacher. "Where are you?" She said to herself as she looked for Scarlet.

"Hey Little Raven!" A male hunter's voice called out from the side of the street. Raven frowned a little, since this is the nickname the hunters would call her just for fun, because of her name. Raven brought her attention a group of hunters who were standing on the side of the street she is on. "We heard the news. You're going to Beacon."

Raven nodded. "Yeah. My parents were ecstatic when they found out that my brother and I were accepted."

"Thats great to here. Remember, you're one of us. Show them how a REAL hunter hunts!" The male said with a smile, only the get punched in the head by one of the female hunters. "You talk too damn much!"

Raven couldn't help be snicker at the scene. "By the way, are any of you seen Scarlet?"

"Oh, your majesty? Shes at the workshop with Father Hunter." The man replied as he recovered from the blow he took. _'Shes with The Father Hunter?'_ Raven thought as she gave a nod and went about her way.

After walking the cobblestone path through the woods and up the stone stairs on a hill, Raven found herself standing in front of an old church-looking workshop that overlooks the woods and the village. She shoes tapped the cobblestone ground as she walked up the to foot of the workshop's staircase. The building itself may be old, but she can tell that the hunters keeps it a tip top shape. On the outside and inside. She has been here a few times before, and with each visit she feels like she has taken a trip back in time. Like there is a untold history about this place. Raven noticed that three doors to the workshop, one on the front and two on the side, are open and the lanterns in the area are lit, indicating that someone is here.

"They're lit. Then she must be here, right?" She started to walk up the staircase of the hunter's workshop until she looked over to her right, towards the field of white flowers that sit next to the workshop, seeing two people at the hill's edge. Raven made her way to the gate that leads the flower covered field, which is open, and walked through. On the flower covered field, Raven is greeted with numerous gravestones marked with the names of other hunters before her.

She walked towards the people are at the hill's edge, watching the horizon. One of them Raven recognize right away due to their slim coke bottle shape and long wild black hair. It's Scarlet. She appears to be standing next to someone who is in a wheel chair. Raven knew this is he Father Hunter.

"So" Scarlet spoke out with her back still facing Raven. "How did you manage to find me Little Raven? Did you follow your blood?"

Raven slight twitched an eyebrow at the nickname Scarlet called her. "No. A few birdies in the flock told me." _'Follow my blood? Could she be referring to the vibe I get whenever shes around?'_ Raven looked over to the person sitting the wheel chair, the Father Hunter. He has on a black hooded cloak that covers his entire body, so his face can't be seen. He sat in his wheelchair with his head hung down, his body leaning slightly to the right. Raven can hear the sound of the man snoring. He is asleep.

"Oh! Sorry if I'm making too much noise. I didn't know that Father Hunter is sleeping." Raven apologized to Scarlet who only waved it off. "Oh don't worry about it. The old bag of bones sleeps like a rock. He won't wake up." Scarlet said over the sleeping man's snoring.

"Is that so?" Raven noticed the infusion/IV stand sitting next to the Father Hunter. A blood bag is hung on the stand as IV tubes ran blood into his veins. "Why is there..." Raven stopped mid-sentence after seeing the blood bag, her eyes starting to glow. Raven was then snapped out of her trance by Scarlet snapping her fingers in front of her face. "Hello? Little Rav?"

"Oh! Sorry, I spaced out. But why is...that attached to him?" Raven pointed to the IV stand.

"Oh that? It's a blood transfusion. See, according to stories, Father Hunter has been around for _quite_ awhile. So he needs a transfusion of _special_ blood to keep him around a bit longer." Scarlet told her student.

"A transfusion?" Raven said to herself in confusion. "Scarlet. Why is Father Hunter always asleep? I've only seen him a few times and I've noticed he's always asleep in his wheelchair."

Scarlet scratched the back of her head. "Well you got me there. I don't really have an answer to that. As you know, Father Hunter is the leader and founder of the Black Wing Brotherhood. But there is a lot of mysterious about him. It is said that he's a hunter from one of Yharnam's early generations. There are a lot of questions people have about him. The hunters who had these answers are long dead and gone. It would be nice to hear it straight from the horses mouth. But unfortunately that horse is taking a century long nap." Scarlet sighed, looking towards their slumbering leader. "Usually the exemplars are the ones who make the decisions in his place."

"Those are usually master hunters, right? Like you?"

Scarlet chuckled. "Yeah, but the others see my decision making rather...extreme."

"I don't blame them." Raven said with a smirk. Scarlet let out a laugh at her apprentice's remark. "Hey, watch your mouth."

"I still haven't forgotten the time you left me in a valley infested with Grimm without any weapons and told me to survive, for a month." Raven looked Scarlet right in the eye, reminding her of training.

"Hey, what doesn't kill you makes you stronger." Scarlet argued in defense. "If you're going to be a hunter, you have to be able to depend on yourself in any given situation and take on whatever comes a you. Besides, you've connected with your Grimm. I've trained you enough to believe that you were ready for a task like that. Think Rav. If I didn't think you were capable, would I really throw you out to the wolves?"

Raven knew she is right. Scarlet never does something without a good reason. "Yeah, you do have a point there. Its because of my Grimm that I actually managed to pulled it off. They really can't tell the difference between us and them, can they."

Scarlet only chuckled that last part. "Anyway, I hear that our Little Raven won't be visiting the nest for awhile."

"Yeah, I've been accepted into Beacon and I'll be-" Before Raven could finish her sentence, Scarlet suddenly caught her in hug. "Pleeeeease don't leave me Rav! You're the only one I can play with!"

"What the-?!" Raven said in surprise by Scarlet's sudden embrace. "Scarlet, it's not like I'm leaving the brotherhood. I'm just gonna be away for awhile. Besides, where you the one who said 'One should spread their wings and venture beyond the nest'?" Raven quoted one of the Scarlet's lines.

Scarlet started to slightly scratch her cheek after letting Raven go. "Oh. Did I say that?" She then sighed, crossed her arms and put on a pouting look. "I'm happy that you're going to Beacon, but I'll just be bored awhile you're gone." She then brought attention to Raven's sword in it's sheath attached to her left side. "So you've finally made your own Chikage."

The teen looked down at her sword in it's sheath. "Yeah, I've made the blade with the use of blood gems, a few blood rock and included a bit of my blood, just like you said. I've also included a trigger on the handle which creates an small ignition boost that helps me draw it out much faster than I could on my own."

"So it helps compensates for your lack of drawing speed."

"I'm fast, but I'm not inhumanly fast like you Scarlet."

"Well, we won't know unless we put to the test." Scarlet said as she placed her hand on the handle of her own Chikage. "Let's play one last time before you take off."

 **Flashback End**

* * *

Raven let out a small chuckle. Now wearing a white T-shirt and short black shorts, she lounged back in a chair next the table with her legs crossed. She held her Chikage in her right hand, slowly running her left index finger along the side of the red blade. "I may be on par with you now Scarlet. Or even surpassed you. Then again, it seems that you haven't gotten dull. Staying at the top of your game as always."

She then looked over to the picture of Team STRQ lying on the table. The grin on her face slowly faded as she looked at Yang's father, Taiyang Xiao Long.

 **Flashback Begins**

"You can't be serious Rav! Your leaving?!" Tai's voice boomed thought out the house. Raven stood in front of him holding a letter in her hand, having a very displeased look on her face. "I'm sorry Tai, but I have to go." Raven had just received an assignment from the brotherhood. She has been chosen to be apart of a party they're sending to Yharnam tonight, but tonight is not just any night. Tonight marks Yharnam's annual hunt.

"Says who?! Who is that letter from anyway?!" Tai shouted in anger as he reached for the letter in Raven's hand, but she kept away from him. In fact, to make sure that he doesn't read it, she burned the letter with an nearby candle. "Raven!" Tai yelled in anger that Raven prevented him from reading the letter.

"Tai..." She started out. "Please, you have to calm down and listen-"

"Calm down? Calm down?! How can I calm down?! We just had Yang and now you get a letter saying that you have to leave?! What is this all about Raven?!" Tai wasn't fond of this at all.

"I wish I could tell you Tai, I really do. But you'll just have to trust me. I'll be gone for one night. Just one night." Raven told.

"Going where, doing what?!" Tai argued, determined to get to the bottom of this. Raven knew that he was going to let this go easily. "Tai, do you trust me?" Raven asked him, receiving a confused look from Tai.

"Y-Yeah I do-"

"Then you'll drop this argument and believe me when I say that I'll come back." Raven said with her tone taking command towards the blond haired man. Tai let out a sigh of defeat as he slammed his fist on the table next to him in frustration. "Dammit! You said it'll be just one night, right?"

Raven nodded. "Yes" Exactly the duration of the assignment it all depends on the situation, but she didn't want Tai to know that.

"Then promise me that you'll come back."

Raven walked up to him and placed her hand on his right cheek. "I will" She gave him a passionate kiss on the lips. "Take good care of Yang while I'm gone." With that, she took her Chikage and walked out the front door of the house. Leaving Tai still battling with confusing and frustration.

Now walking in nearby woods, Raven looked back at the house where her lover and child is. "I promise. Once this is over, I'll come back as soon as possible."

"Hey now. What's with the sad face Rav?" Came a woman's voice. Raven brought her attention to Scarlet who is leaning against a tree with her arms crossed. "Scarlet" She said the woman's name in depressed tone. "I was just on my way to the rendezvous point. You didn't need to come get me."

Scarlet can hear the depression in Raven's voice. "You're leaving someone behind, aren't you?" Raven looked at her with slight surprise on her face. "Yeah, my family. How did you guess?"

"Thats the look most hunters have when they have to leave someone they care about." Scarlet said as she got off the tree and walked up to her fellow hunter, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry, I'll have your back Rav. I'll make sure you'll come back in one piece. In exchange, you'll have to do the same for me. I'm also leaving two babies of mine as well." Scarlet said, referring to Kazato and Rize.

Raven replied to her master's supporting words with a small smile. "Thanks Scarlet."

* * *

"It's legs! Go for the legs!" Raven shouted as she and a group of people faced against a Bloodletting Beast in the streets of Central Yharnam. Tonight is the night of the hunt and Yharnam's streets are hungry for bloodshed tonight. Crawling with Grimm around every corner.

The Bloodletting Beast stood against the group of hunters with it's humongous size and nightmarish appearance. Blood dipped from it's mouth along with blood oozing from the large gapping gash on it's back. The street is filtered with the lifeless bodies of townsfolk who either took part in the annual hunt or got caught outside during the dreadful night. Along with those bodies were the bodies of other hunters and Grimm.

The beast stood on it's hind legs and slammed both of it's fists on the ground, instantly crushing a few hunters that were under it. The beast lifted up it's left arm to swipe Raven but is stopped by a white glowing chain that wrapped around it's wrist. Following the chain, Raven saw a person wearing a white hooded cloak, wielding a twinbladed weapon glowing with crescent moonlight, standing on the wall of a building as they pulled on the chain wrapped around the beast's arm. "Summer!" Raven shouted the person's name.

Summer Rose pulled on the white glowing chain which all her might, preventing the beast from attacking Raven. How is she able to stand flat footed on a wall? Since aura can act as a protective shield and heal minor injuries, Summer used her aura by channeling it to the soles of her feet, or shoes rather, to allow her to stand on other surfaces.

The beast got a smart idea and decided the yank Summer towards it. Soon as it yanked on the chain, it learned that it wasn't just a good idea after all. With her twinbladed weapon radiating with moonlight, Summer used her momentum to cut into the beast's forearm, cut it off. The beast screamed in agony as it jumped back to get some distance.

"Looks like it's going to take more than that." Raven told Summer as they readied themselves. Summer nodded. "Yeah, I know. Where did this beast come from anyway? It's not a Grimm, is it?"

"It's a bloodletting beast." Scarlet said as she walked up beside the two. "The bloodshed during this ordeal must've drawn it out."

"We can somehow use that to our advantage." Came a man's voice who walked up beside the women. It is Ozpin.

"Professor Ozpin?!" Both Raven and Summer in shock and surprise.

"I didn't expect to see you here. Ms. Rose. Ms. Branwen." Ozpin said to the two huntresses as he kept his eyes on the beast."

"W-Why are you here?! Should you be at Beacon?" Summer asked with confusion mixed with her shock and surprise. Scarlet looked at Ozpin. "So you're Ozpin. Headmaster of Beacon and ruler of Vale. What is a person like yourself doing here?"

"I believe that is the least of our problems." Ozpin simply said as he motioned towards the Bloodletting Beast as it winded back it's right fist.

"What is it-" Before Summer could finish her words, the beast unleashed an terrifyingly fast punch which the hunters off guard. "MOVE!" Raven commanded as the four of them barely managed to dodge roll out of the path of the punch. The other hunters, unfortunately, weren't so lucky. Bodies of the hunters were slammed against the cities building, some were flung out into the distance.

Seeing that it missed it's main targets, the beast winded up another punch. _'It going from another attack!'_ Ozpin thought as he got in front of the women. "I'm going to stop it's punch. Two of you bring it to it's knees and the last one finishes it off." He held his cane out in front of him and started to glow with a green aura.

Summer nodded. "Raven" She called out to her teammate who only nodded in response.

"Well in that case." Scarlet looked to two black wing hunters. "You two! Help him out!" She motioned towards Ozpin.

"Yes ma'am!" The two hunter responded as they ran to both sides of Ozpin, one on the left and one of the right. Their bodies started to emit a red and black mist, indicating that they're using the power of the Grimm. Ozpin raised an eyebrow at this but then brought his attention back to the situation at hand.

The beast unleash it's terrifying punch and as planned, it is stopped cold by Ozpin and the two hunters. "GO!" Ozpin shouted. Right on que, Raven and Summer ran in for the legs. Raven's red eyes and her Chikage glowing red with scarlet hue along with Summer's silver-colored eyes and her twinblade, The Crescent Celica, glowing with radiant moonlight.

Both of them slashed the beast's calves with their blades, bring it down to it's knees. "Scarlet!" Raven yelled out.

"Already on it." Scarlet said as she ran toward the pinned down beast, slowly drawing out her red muramasa blade. With swift strike, she decapitated it beast. The beast's body feel to the ground, lifeless.

"Well that was fun." Scarlet said when everyone regrouped. Raven only gave her mentor a look. "I say you had fun."

"Now that the conflict is resolved, I'm sure there are questions you want to ask me." Ozpin immediately jumped to the question part.

"Yeah, let's start with the question I asked you a few minute ago." Scarlet spoke up first. "What is a person like yourself doing in a place like this?"

"The answer to that question will be revealed in due time. In fact..." Ozpin then brought his attention to Raven and Summer. "...I would like to know what reasons do two alumni from my school have to be in Yharnam, especially on a night like this? And more importantly..." He looked towards Raven. "When did one of them become a Cursed Hunter?"

"You're a Cursed Hunter Raven?" Summer asked the red-eyed woman. Raven ran a hand through her long black hair. "It's an long story, but you can thank your majesty over there." Raven motioned towards Scarlet who gave her a look.

"Hey! I saved your life, didn't I?!" Scarlet said in defense and then looked at Summer. "Anyway, I should've expected to see a Silver-eyed Hunter out here, especially on a night like this."

"So you knew who she was from the start." Ozpin asked her which e received an nod as a response. "If you know about the Cursed Hunters, then you should also know about the Silver-eyed Hunters. Or as people call them 'Silver-eyed Warriors'. Their both mentioned in the same legend and they're know to work in tandom."

"Tandom? So their allies?" Summer asked.

"Of courses. The two groups have always been involved in Yharnam's annual hunt." Ozpin answered.

"Oh yes. I can imagine that we are quite the pair. While the Silver-eyed Hunters have their crescent weapons and their moon powers, We have our Grimm powers!" Scarlet said in a cheery tone, causing everyone to just look at her. "Among the many things it offers us, the most wondrous of all is that we can spread our wings and fly the wondrous skies!"

"Really? Fly?" Ozpin said with a plain tone, not believe that last part.

"Now I know you're just over exaggerating Scarlet." Raven told her mentor. "Not once have I seen a member in the brotherhood grow a pair of wings and fly."

Scarlet puffed her cheeks and gave Raven a look. "Not a pair of wings Raven, just one wing. Why do you think we're called The Black Winged Hunters?"

Raven blinked with a dull look. "...Because every member dresses as a crow."

"I'm sorry to say this..." Summer spoke up. "But it does sound far fetched. Even though there are a variety of semblances in Remnant and I don't know much about the Cursed Hunters and the connection they have with their Grimm, but a person flying sounds unbelievable."

Scarlet crossed her arms and sighed. "Well allow me to briefly educate you and Ozzy over here. For Little Raven, this will be a recap."

 _'Ozzy?'_ Ozpin thought. Raven only gave Scarlet a glare for calling her by that old nickname.

"The Grimm inside us, and by 'us' I mean the people of Remnant, doesn't have a definite type or form like the Grimm we see walking around. Hm, think of it as a mimic or a jack-of-all-trades. It has the traits of all Grimm because it has yet to have a type to take form of, because the person hasn't turned." Scarlet told them.

"Okay. So what happens when the person turns into a Grimm?" Ozpin asked the Vileblood, this wasn't in the legend.

"From what I hear, the Grimm within finally takes the form of the type it chooses. They say that the trait you use the most will be the Grimm you'll be when you transform. I heard that on some occasions the Grimm would still are the ability to mimic other Grimm." Scarlet answered his question.

"With that last part said, I'm assuming thats why the brotherhood considers the Grimm within human and fanuses more dangerous than other Grimm." Raven grasped the information she was just presented.

"You're not going to turn into a Grimm, are you Raven?" Summer said with a concern on her face and worry clearly in her voice.

"Don't worry Summer, I'm not going anywhere. I have a firm grasp of myself. Besides, someone has to watch over Qrow, right?" Raven said with a grin. Summer gave a small laugh. "Yeah, you're right about that. Oh!" Summer suddenly remembered something. "When arriving in Yharnam, did any of you notice anything strange? Like a bright light?"

"A bright light?" Ozpin repeated the last part she said. "After the light, did you wake up in a strange place?" Summer nodded. "There was a building there that was supposedly a workshop of some kind for hunters."

"The same thing happened to our party. The place felt like...I was in a dream. It hard to explain." Raven mentioned her experience of the mysterious place.

"Also, the was a elderly man there sitting in a wheelchair. He told me his name. It was..." Summer tried to remember the name of the man she met.

"Did he say Gehrman?" Ozpin remembered for her. Summer's eyes went wide when Ozpin said his name. "Wait? We all saw the same place, heard the same voice, and spoke to the same man?" Everyone nodded. "The name Gehrman. When he said it, I thought of Gehrman, The First Hunter."

Ozpin put his chin between his right index finger and thumb as he thought about it. "Something doesn't seem right here."

While Summer and Ozpin are trying to get their heads around this, Raven pulled Scarlet to the side. "Scarlet" She said the Vileblood queen's name.

"I know. The place looked exactly like the workshop in Dusk." Scarlet said to her.

"Not only that..." Raven continued. "...That man, Gehrman was it? Did something about him seem familiar to you?" Scarlet nodded. "Yeah, very familiar."

"What do you make of this?"

Scarlet just shrugged her shoulders. "I don't have the slightest clue, but for know we must focus the hunt. We have a job to do."

* * *

Several hours later, the four found themselves standing on a balcony of the astral clock tower, watching Yharnam from above with slack-jawed looks of shock and disbelief on their faces. Well, saved for Scarlet who has a look of surprise and interest on her face and Raven who just has a neutral unphased expression.

The night sky is now a sea of dark purple clouds with a blood red moon hanging in it's amidst. After killing the great one, Rom, The Vacuous Spider, the true face of Remnant is revealed. Behold! A Paleblood sky!

The ancient city of Yharnam is now being over run with the Creatures of Grimm, filled to the brim. These Grimm...are the townspeople themselves. Summer stood there with utter shock on her face with her hands put to her mouth. "Oh my god" She said, her silver-eyes as wide as the moon itself. "Everyone...turned into Grimm."

"The Bygenwerth spider hides all manner of rituals." Ozpin quoted an note he found much earlier that night near the entrance to Oeden Chapel.

"So this is Remnant's true face." Raven said in a lifeless tone which caught everyone's attention. "In the end...the outcome was inevitable. Our efforts were worth nothing."

"Raven?" Summer called out her name. "What are you...saying?" Raven looked at Summer, red eyes lost of all hope. "Think. Think about all we've uncovered, seen, and learned while we were here. Can't you see Summer? This is the trut-"

"You're actually going to believe that?!" Summer raised her voice, cutting Raven off. "Come on Raven, don't become brainwashed by this! This is the result of the rituals! It doesn't mea-"

"It doesn't mean what?!" Raven shouted back, cutting Summer off. "In case you've forgotten or haven't notice, the veil was removed when we killed Rom! The spider was guarding the truth about Remnant, what the world really looks like!" Raven looked Summer dead in the eye. "As the leader of Team STRQ, you must have at least tried to use your brain and tried to make sense of whats going on! I've tried, and I didn't understand any of this until now! Now only that, remember the numerous graves in the Hunter's Dream? Those are graves of hunters who came before us! Meaning that this must've happened multiple times before! So tell me _leader_ , what solution do you have to stop something thats just gonna happen again?!"

Summer was at a lost for words.

"Raven!" Scarlet raised her voice, grabbing her arm. "I taught you better than to just give up like that!"

Raven scoffed. "Taught me better? This is coming from someone who was seemingly enjoying the things that happened in this city. You say it as if you're my mother." Raven said as she yanked her arm away from the Vileblood's grip. "You've been in the brotherhood longer than I have, so I'm sure you saw this coming. Given our objective."

"Raven please..." Summer started but Scarlet stopped her. "No, she's right. This is how Remnant really looks behind the mask. The rituals that caused this beckoned the red moon, paleblood. The brotherhood sent us on an assignment to find and stop the ritual. But we had no way of knowing that it would be like this."

"Wait, did you say 'beckon the moon'?" Summer blinked with a surprised look, Scarlet only nodded. With that, Summer looked towards the blood red moon, holding her right hand up to her chest. _'I hope I'm right about this.'_ "Guys, I think there is a way to stop this."

"Whatever it is, we better do it quickly." Ozpin said as he turned off his scroll. "I've checked the surveillances of Vale's satellite and saw that none of the other kingdoms were affected. Yet. Only a small portion of Remnant is covered by the dark sky, and thats the location where Yharnam sits. It's spreading."

"It does make sense that it would originate from where the ritual took place." Scarlet said. She then looked to Raven. "Rav listen. I know all this can be too much to bear. Just because its the truth doesn't always mean you have to accept it. Not all truths are pleasant, I know. Which is why some are meant to be buried and forgotten."

Raven looked at her. "So you're telling me to run from the truth and live a lie. Living with the knowledge of what is really out there, pretending to be arrogant." Scarlet only nodded as she put a comforting hand on Raven's shoulder. "With cases like these Rav. Sometimes its best to do so.

Raven sighed. "Thats easier said than done Scarlet. Now if we're going to stop this, then we must first kill the newborn." She said in still in her lifeless tone as she walked away from the group.

 **Flashback Ends**

* * *

"Thats right. We saw Remnant's true face for the very first time." Raven said after remembering the dreadful night in Yharnam. "Behold, a paleblood sky huh?" She then brought her attention to Summer in the picture.

"Summer..." She said as she picked up the picture. "You knew it all along but you rejected it. Now you see, we can't truly stop it. The only thing humanity can do...is adapt and survive."

 **Flashback Begins**

It is the afternoon in the abandoned ruined city of Yharnam. Buildings are charred black by scrounging flames of that night. Vegetation growing from the cracks of the city's streets and growing along the walls of buildings, giving Yharnam a nature look as mother nature mingled with it's ancient Gothic-Victorian architecture. Four people stood on top of a building. Raven, who is one of them, leaned against a wall with her legs and arms crossed, her Grimm mask on.

"So, today we hunting for an important _ingredient_. Yes?" Said a women who is sitting on top of the wall with her legs crossed. She has on black and red Grimm-like armor that partially covers her upper body and legs, revealing her skin which is a extremely pale white. She has long white hair and has a Grimm mask that covers her eyes, much like Adam's mask.

"Yes. A Silver-eyed Hunter." Said a man in a deep voice. He has on full black and red Grimm-like armor and a Grimm mask on. Raven raised an eyebrow underneath her mask. "A Silver-eyed Hunter? I thought we exterminated them all?"

"Well well. She finally talks. Supposedly we did during the our hunt for the Successor." The woman said.

"Successor?" Raven said in a confused tone. Now it's the woman's turn to raised an eyebrow. "What? Didn't mother tell you?"

"Shes one of the people who wasn't present at the time, Aria." The man said the woman's name. He then brought his attention to Raven. "Among the Silver-eyed Hunters there is a chosen one known as The Successor to the Moon. This individual is said to have strong ties with the moon and it's power. Cursed Hunters, like yourself, and Silver-eyed Hunters have their share of ties with the moon, giving them a moon-lit scent. But the Successor to the Moon's is the strongest."

"I see" Is all Raven said in a plain tone.

"You forgot to mention one thing Hades." Aria said the man's name. "It is also believed that the silver-eyed Hunter's powers were a gift from a Great One."

"...Or they meddled in something that they're not suppose but got lucky, liked the Cursed Hunters." Hades added in. At that moment a person in a red hooded cloak that is tattered at the ends and wearing a Grimm mask, who is standing at the edge of the rooftop, snapped their fingers to gain everyone's attention.

"You see them Blood?" Aria said to the person. The person known as Blood said nothing as they just pointed their finger out towards a white figure moving in the distance.

"Looks like our prey is here." Aria said in giddy tone.

"Aria. Hades. Blood. You three go ahead. I'll watch from afar." Raven told the three.

"If you insist. One-Winged Raven." Aria said as the three disappeared in a red and black mist.

* * *

 **AN: Songs on YouTube: Red like Rose part 2, Dissidia Final Fantasy AC [Arcade]OST- Blind by Light, or K project: Return Of Kings OST - Assembly. Your choice, they're all nice for this.**

Summer Rose walked the ruined abandoned streets of Central Yharnam. Looking at the sorry state the city is in, remembering what it used to look like. "It's only been a few years yet it feels like its was just yesterday when all this happened." She looked behind her to see lifeless bodies of Grimm that she had slain. "These Grimm. Are they...the same Grimm that the townspeople turned into?"

Suddenly, she felt two disturbing presences coming her way. Putting herself on guard, the silver-eyed hunter scanned her surroundings. "A Grimm?" She asked herself. She then looked up and saw two people standing on what looked like red strings. It's Hades and Blood.

Summer manifested her crescent twinblade, The Crescent Celica. Summer can feel a strong Grimm presence coming from the two strangers, along with that, her Crescent Celica started to glow with crescent moonlight in the presence of the two. Knowing that crescent weapons only glow in the presence of Grimm... _'Who are these two?'_

Without warning, Hades leapt into the air with his staff, twirling it around above his head as it started to glow red. Summer's eyes grew wide seeing the mysterious man speeding down towards her, resulting an explosion that created a huge dust cloud when he collided with the ground, along a violate shake of the ground.

Summer managed to evade the devastating attack. Now standing on the wall of a nearby building, focusing her aura to the soles of her feet to allow her do so. She can see a pair of glowing red eyes looking at her through the dust cloud. Summer then saw a red flash out in the distance. Just in the nick of time she jumped off the side of the wall, avoiding a glowing red arrow that exploded and destroyed the side of the building.

Aria is relaxing on the edge of a rooftop, wielding a black bow she manifested. Along with that, she also manifested her six fake arms on her back, with are controlling strings. Like a spider. "Come on my precious little prey. Let's make this fun." She said with sadistic chuckle and grin underneath her mask. One of Aria's fake hands manifested another red glowing arrow for her to shoot.

Summer saw the incoming projectile as she is running, jumped into a cartwheel in the air and landed on a wall as she evaded the explosion. Aria shot more arrows, multiple at a time. Using her powers to increase her speed, Summer zig-zagged on the side of the building to dodge the barrage of arrows, explosions erupting behind her. She jumped off the building and onto the balcony of another. Summer took a quick breather as she watched the building she was on collapse in flames.

"Who are these people?" Summer panted slightly. "There is one who is close-quarters and the other one is obliviously long-range." Summer winced after looking that the damage the long-range enemy did. "This isn't good. If I get hit square on by one of those, I doubt I'll survive. My best bet for this situation is to lure the fight to an area of the city so there will be too many obstacles for the archer."

Summer tried to quickly think of such a place in Yharnam. "I guess the old Cathedral Ward would have to do. Wait a minute. Wasn't there a third person-"

Before Summer could finish her words, a figure jumped upwards out of the burning flames of the building, covered in fire. The figure spun around, putting out the flames revealing a person wearing a red hooded cloak. It is Blood. Surrounded by hot ambers from the flames, Blood pulled out a gun from underneath their cloak with their demonic designed black and gold gauntlet. The gun has three barrels, a Tri-gun.

Summer gasped as Blood began shooting at her. She deflected the tri-gun shot with her twinblade, twirling the blade around the block the shot. Summer can feel the impact of the quicksilver bullets as the made contact with her blade. Now leaping from trees to the side of buildings, Summer and Blood went at it. Gun vs. Blade. Now fighting on top an enclosed walkway that connects between two buildings, Summer ran at Blood with a slash which Blood blocked with their gun. They then pulled out a second tri-gun from underneath their cloak and pointed it at Summer's head.

In a attempt to stop them from pulling the trigger, Summer broke her Crescent Celica into two dual-wielding blades and tried to cut Blood's arm off. Blood back-flipped the attack to gain some distance. Summer then saw Hades flying at her from the corner of her eye. Summer jumped into the air to avoid Hades attack. Blood, being persistent, focused their aura to the soles of their feet, took off up a wall and jumped after her. Summer's blades and Blood's guns clashed. This time Summer caught Blood by surprise. In the amidst of the deadlock Summer spun around, knocking Blood off balance as they passed her through the air, and kicked them in the back. Sending them falling towards the ground.

Hades ran to the position were Blood is falling and spun around with his right arm out. Blood, who recovered and landed on the Hades arm, is thrown back into the air with such force from Hades. Summer's eyes widened, seeing Blood being thrown at her. After reloading both of their tri-guns, Blood unleashed a rapid shot of bullets as they sped towards her. Joining her dual-blades back into twinblade form, Summer twirled her weapon to deflect the incoming bullet, sparks flying as the blade and bullets collide.

Summer tried to deliver an attack with her blade but Blood intercepted it with their left gun and kicked the twinblade out of her hand. "No!" Summer gasped, seeing her weapon being separated from her. Her Crescent Celica flew and struck the side of a tree. Summer landed on a branch of a tree beside it, ran along the branch and jumped towards her weapon, grabbing the handle her right hand. Dangling in the air.

Looking down, Summer saw Hades standing at the base of the tree. With a chuckle, he hit the tree with a mighty punch, causing it to fall. Using her aura to let her stand the tree, Summer pulled her blade out of falling. Blood landed on the falling tree, shooting at Summer as they walked towards her. Summer deflected another barrage of bullets. The jumped off the tree, taking the fight the air. Summer saw an opening in Blood's defense and dropped kicked them in the chest, as well as pushing herself off them to land on a rooftop.

Summer fell one knee as she tried to take her breath as she hid behind a wall on the rooftop. "They...just keep coming." Summer panted. Summer took out a small bottle containing green liquid. It's medicine. Summer didn't receive any damage from her adversaries and they are relentlessly wearing down her stamina. Summer detested using a blood vial since you're basically consuming someone's or something's blood. So she preferred to use fast acting medicine.

Popping the top from the bottle, she quickly tilt it up to her mouth. The cool green liquid going down her throat. Instead of having a bitter taste, her taste buds were hit with a sweet explosion peach cobbler flavor. As she drank the medicine, Summer can feel her body rejuvenating. Her strength and stamina is returning back to it's peak. Summer let out a sigh of relief after drinking the medicine, she renewed. _'Now'_ She started thinking. _'I need think of a way to-'_ Before she could finish her thoughts, she felt a Grimm presence coming from walling. Summer cartwheeled away from the wall as Hades bust through it like a bulldozer.

"It is futile to try and hide from us Successor. We can smell your moon scent from a mile away."

Summer had a shocked look on her face. _'They know that I'm...'_ "So thats why you're attacking me. Who are you working for?"

Hades chuckled as he manifested her staff flowing with red energy. "We're doing what mother wishes." Is all he said as he came upon Summer with a overhead strike at inhuman speed. Summer brought her blade and block the blow. "Come on Successor! I heard a lot of things about your kind! Don't disappoint me!" Hades said in a forceful tone.

Summer kicked him off and they began clashing, twirling their weapons around to intercept each attack. In the amidst of it all, Summer managed to slip through Hades defenses and delivered a powerful kick to the face. Hades stumbled back a bit but kept up the fight. "That's more like it Successor! Let's make this fun!"

Hades tried to punch Summer but she sidestepped it. Tossing her Crescent Celica up into the air, Summer grabbed Hades arm causing him to stumble forward and swung her body around his, using her weight to keep him off balance. She then tightened her legs around his neck and used her weight to cause him to fall over and slam him to the ground.

"Argh!" Hades shouted in pain as he struggled to break free, his neck still being squeezed between Summer's legs. Summer caught her Crescent Celica as it came back down and is about to stab Hades in the chest until a red cloak suddenly appeared through the air and opened up above Summer and Hades.

With a gasp, Summer released Hades and hastily retreated back. The red cloak flew in a circle around Hades, who still on the ground, and spread out over him sheet flowing in the wind. Gunshots were fired from underneath the cloak which caught Summer by surprise but she was able the deflect them.

Red cloak them flew off, taking Hades with it. That the same time, Summer saw the same red glimpsing light at the corner of her eye. She knew it what was. The red arrow struck the rooftop, resulting an explosion.

"Hahaha! Don't tell me all it took was one arrow!" Aria laughed. Just when she said that, Summer jumped out of the smoke cloud, her white cloak and clothes tattered. Her eyes are now glowing with crescent moonlight as the glared straight at Aria, leaping from building to building as she makes a beeline for her. "Ooooh. I think she's mad." Aria said unphased as she fired multiple arrows at Summer.

Summer evaded the incoming projectiles in a series of acrobatic maneuvers as the arrows struck the buildings. Aria chuckled. "Don't get too full of yourself now." One of her fake hands controlled one some of the strings which made an web trapped appear in front of Summer. The silver-eyed warrior showed that this wasn't much of a obstacles when she shredded through the thread.

"My-my. Successor to the Moon indeed." Aria said with a raised eyebrow as she dodged Summer who ran up the wall of the building and came down with a slash. "Well, since you've made it this far..." Aria said as her bow disappeared. She detached two fake arms from her back and had the hands lock on to each other by grabbed each others wrist. Aria did the same thing for the four remaining fake arms on her back until they all formed a staff made of arms. After manifesting another set of fake arms on her back, the hands began passing around a knife that they pulled out from Aria's armor.

The staff of arms flexed, reaching back as the hand at the end grabbed the knife, and straightened back up with knife acting as a bladed tip. Aria snapped her fingers causing multiple spiders to appear and surround Summer. Summer gripped her twinblade as she glared at the surrounding spiders. _'Death Spinners'_

"...Let's enjoy ourselves, yes?" Aria said as she had the staff relaxing into whip form and cracked it on the ground. As if on que, the spiders lunged at Summer from all directions. In fluent movements, Summer slash each spider that lunged at her, twirling her Crescent Celica as she did so. In the amidst of the action, Aria jumped in with her staff attempting to stab Summer while she is distracted by the spiders. Summer saw this at the corner of her eye, backstepped to avoid the stab, and sent a counterattack with her blade which Aria knocked back with a kick her armored heels as she did a flexible cartwheel.

Aira's fake arms twirled her around as they passed it to each other as she walked towards Summer, trying to confusion Summer on where the next attack will come from. The bladed tip of the staff scrapped the roof, spikes flying as it did. Without warning, Aria sent a quick attack with Summer, using her reflexes, ducked. The two clashed int a deadlock. Aria's staff relaxed transforming into a whip again and caused Summer to stumble pass her. Now that she created an opening, Aria kicked Summer in the back with enough force to send her flying off the edge of the roof, but Aria wasn't done yet.

Aria wrapped her whip around Summer's ankle and began to swing her around. Summer retaliated by cutting the Staffwhip of arms to free herself. She then grabbed a pole with her left hand which swung her around and when she let go she drop kicked Aria dead in the chest, the impact of the blow causing Aria to fly off the edge of the roof. Manifesting her bow, Aria shot an arrow at Summer.

"Damn!" Summer gasped as she ran for the edge of the roof. Just before she could jump off the roof, the force of the explosion knocked her off the edge. Summer screamed as the force hurled her out into the wide open space. Hades appeared in front of her and Blood appeared from behind. They both moved to sandwich her between an attack. Summer switched her twinblade into dual-wield form and blocked the attacks. But when she did, the two grabbed her and began spinning head first towards the ground below.

Blood said nothing while Hades gave a sadistic chuckle. "You're finished." Just then, using all her strength, Summer pushed the two off and spun around with her dual-blades. Blood used their cloak as a protective shield against Summer's crescent glowing blade, which got torn. Instead of the cloak just tearing like it should, the part of the cloak began to freeze from the rip. Hades on the other hand, took a deep slash across the chest. His chest felt an agonizing freezing sensation spread from the slash to through out his chest.

Blood covered themselves with their cloak as they flew off, leaving Hades to crash into the streets below. Hades recovered to his feet, the freezing sensation in his chest refusing to go away. "That...damned...Silver-eyed..." The pain from the freezing is excruciating. "This is another reason why we exterminated their kind." Just then, Hades started to hear snarling coming from inside a nearby building. Soon after, a werewolf Grimm burst out of a door and lunged at the wounded Hades. With his left hand, Hades grabbed the Grimm by it's throat and slammed it on the old cobblestone street. "Perfect timing." Hades grinned underneath his mask as he tighten his grip on the Grimm, a black and red mist emitting from his arm. The Grimm cried and struggled as Hades began to absorb it, healing his wound.

Summer watched from on top of a light post, shocked by what Hades did to the Grimm. "They can absorb Grimm to heal themselves?!"

"Thats right." Hade said as he stood up. "Like us, they are mother's creations."

"Mother? You said that before. Who is this _'mother'_?"

Hades manifested his staff. As usual, it flowed with red energy but this the energy took the shape of a red construct. A hammer. "You'll see her soon enough." With that said, Hades hit the ground with the hammer, causing a shake that felt powerful enough to shake all of Yharnam. "What?!" Summer jumped from the light post she was on for the street began to crumble and collapse into a dark abyss below.

Without Summer knowing whats gonna happen next, two spiders spewed out their web on both of Summer's blades, yanking them from her hands. "WHAT?!" Before she could react, red threads appeared and wrapped around her from neck to toe. "I-I can't move!" The last thing Summer sees is a red cloak appear in front of her. Blood emerge from under the cloak and punched Summer dead in the stomach with their hand emitting a red and black mist.

Summer's silver-eyes grew wide as she coughed up blood and her vision began to get blurry. Summer fell into the dark abyss below, tried up in threads as her vision started to fade to black. _'Ruby'_

"Oh look, I have a Silver-eyed warrior in my web." Aria said in a cheery tone as she dangled an unconscious Summer upside down at the end of her thread line. "Did you have the fun you wanted Hades?"

Hades growled in irritation. "More like annoyance, she was more of a handful than expected. It's an good thing shes the last of her kind." Aria gave a chuckle. "We all clearly saw that. It's too bad that Raven decided to sit this one out." The next thing Aria notices is the fall of night suddenly making it's quick approach and the luminous moon making it's appearance in the night sky. "Isn't it a bit too early for the moon to come out?" Aria then felt her thread moving. She looked down to is that it is moving around in circles, as if someone is swinging on it.

"What is it?" Hades asked

"No. Don't tell me she..." The three watched the thread swing around in a circle as it picked up speed until eventually they saw an white flash shot out of the abyss. "What was..." Before they could register what is happening, a white flash appeared behind them.

Raven saw the huge flash of white light from in the distance, followed by the screams of her _comrades_. "Why did it get dark all of sudden?" Raven looked up at the moon in the night sky. "I'm guessing this is the work of the Successor to the Moon huh?" With that said, Raven walked to the edge of the rooftop she is on and dropped off the edge, transforming into a flock of ravens.

Back to the fight, things have taken an unexpected turn. The area that the fight is taking place in is now frozen in...ice? The old buildings and ruined street are now frozen by the bright light, along with Grimm that were nearby. Summer, now moving in a white flash, aggressively attacked her adversaries. Blood got hit dead in the stomach by a sudden kick by Summer, sending them crashing through an old carriage and into a building.

Aria growled in irritation as the white flash came towards. She tried to use her threads to as a web to slow Summer down, but it is no use. Summer disappeared and reappeared right in front Aria in a flash. Before Aria could do anything, Summer kneed her dead in the stomach, causing her armor the crack. Aria screamed in pain as she coughed up a bit of blood. After kneeing her, Summer followed it up with a punch straight to the face which crack Aria's mask. Aria is sent flying straight into a building as well which collapsed on top of her.

"Damn. It's like fighting against lightening." Hades growled after he saw what happened to Blood and Aria. Summer suddenly appeared behind him in a white flash, her body and eyes glowing with crescent moonlight. "Damn!" Hades swore as he spun around with his staff, blocking an attack from Summer's Crescent Celica in dual wield form. Hades collided blows with Summer, which he seems to be struggling against the impact. Summer relentlessly delivered blow after blow in rapid succession with her dual wielding blades, performing spins and acrobatic maneuvers that work fluently with her attacks.

Hades ducked one of Summer's attacks and sent a counterattack with his staff which Summer evaded by jumping backward into the air, disappearing a white light. "Shi-" Stop he could finish his swear, Summer reappeared and kicked him dead in the face, cracking his mask. Hades is sent skidding and rolling down the old city street. He stopped himself by gripping the street with his gauntlet.

"Grr. My attacks are no good against her." He said, getting back up as Summer ran towards him with a long white chain she manifested that comes from underneath her tattered sleeves. Hades growled as she readied himself. "Screw it!" Hades channeled red energy to his right hand, creating a red mourning star construct as he swung it at Summer. The Silver-eyed warrior disappeared again, evading the construct as it crashed into the ground.

Soon after, a white light appeared behind him. Before he could react he got hit into the air. Summer appeared in front of Hades for a brief moment before disappearing again. Soon after, she began attacking him from all directions in a white flash, literally knocking Hades around in the air like a rag doll.

Summer then wrapped the white chain around Hades from neck to toe. Hades can feel the chilling cold from the chains. After fusing her dual wield blades back into twinblade form, Summer jumped off of Hades, sending him falling towards the ground.

Hades screamed as he crashed into the ground, creating a small dust cloud. When the cloud cleared, Hades a figure in the air above him. A figure with glowing silver-eyes and a glowing weapon in the crescent moonlight of the scattered moon. "So this...is the power...of the Successor."

Summer came speeding downward to deliver the final blow. "This. Ends. Now!" As soon as she close in on the restrained Hades, a red flash cutt between the two and intercepted Summer's attack. The force of the blow caused the ground underneath them to crack. "What?" What Summer saw next made her eyes grow wide. What intercepted her attack is a familiar long red muramasa blade.

 **AN: Songs on YouTube.** **Akame ga Kill OST- Kinpaku, Bleach OST- La distancia para un duelo, or Final Fantasy 7 Advent Children OST- One-Winged Angle.**

"Good to see you..." Raven said as she looked up at Summer, making eye contact. "...Summer"

"R-Raven?" Summer gasped with shock and confusion. Raven pushed her off with her Chikage and sent an swift strike, which Summer managed to block in mid-air and the impact of the blow sent her flying to an nearby rooftop.

Summer recovered by landing on the rooftop. "That...that was..." She then saw a few raven feathers gently fall of above followed by the sound of someone landing on the roof behind her. Summer quickly turned around to see Raven standing on the pointy top of the roof.

"So you're the successor everyone is talking about. Well that is a surprise." Raven said to the Silver-eyed warrior. Summer couldn't believe her eyes. "Is that...really you Raven? Where have you been all these years?"

"Why, I was out learning the world Summer. You'll be amazed at what you'll find out about Remnant. Ever since that _night,_ I knew I couldn't look at the world the same way again."

"That night?" Summer said to herself. "Is that why you disappeared? Is that why you never went back home?" Summer asked her. "Raven. Tai broke down. He thought something had happened to you. Do you know how much pain you caused him?"

Raven's expressions frowned when Summer said that. "I admit...that I hurt Tai greatly and I hate that I did. But...I just couldn't go back home. I felt that if I went back home I'll be submitting to this illusion we life in."

"Illusion..." Summer knew what she meant.

"But..." Raven continued. "I'm sure you're keeping Tai occupied, right?" Raven didn't show it on her face, but Summer can see slight hints of emotions in Raven's eyes when she mentioned the relationship Summer has with Tai. "Like me, you should know all too well how he gets when he decides on something."

"Raven...I..." Summer had an idea of what is going through Raven's mind.

"How I feel about the relationship between you and him is not important right now. All that matters is revealing the truth to all of Remnant."

"Revealing the truth? You really think that whats best for Remnant?"

"No, I think its whats right for Remnant." Raven corrected her. "You remember Scarlet Cainhurst, right? During the night of the hunt? She taught me that there is really no right or wrong in this world. You do what you personally think is right. Basically, everyone has their own way of thinking so there is no right or wrong answer to an situation. You think it's right to continue to live in this illusion while I, on the other hand, don't."

"It's best that Remnant doesn't find out the truth Raven. You saw what happened to Yharnam, humanity and Fanuses won't survive." Summer argued.

"Oh, so you think that humanity doesn't have the strength to adapt and survive? Because thats what it sounds like you're saying Summer." Raven argued back.

"So what are you going to do? Do to Remnant the same thing that happened to Yharnam? The Nightmare is over. We ended it when we killed the Moon Presence." Summer told her.

Raven let out a chuckle. "That's how arrogant you really are Summer. While you're right about the Moon Presence being dead, you're also wrong about the Nightmare. See, while I was out _learning_ about the world I've learned that there are three separate plains in existences." She said as she held up a fist and holding up one finger of each plain. "One of them is the dream. We both been there."

"The Hunter's Dream..." Summer said to herself.

"The second one is the big bad nightmare." Raven said as she held up her second finger. "I sure you have some _fond_ memories of that place. And last but not least..." She said as she held her third and last finger. "...Is the waking world, Remnant. Which sits smack dab in the middle of the other two. The Nightmare is an plain, a dimension of itself own. It can never truly be stopped. As for the Moon Presence, it wasn't the source of the Nightmare. It merely acted as a bridge, it connected the three plains."

Raven continued to explain more. "Think back. When the red moon appeared, what appeared along with it? The Moon Presence. Remember the notes? 'The rituals beckon the moon.' They weren't beckoning the moon itself, they were beckoning the Moon Presence. 'The Bygenwerth spider hides all manner of rituals.' Rom blocked the Moon Presence from entering our world and we killed it."

"But what does this have to do with me being the Successor to the Moon?" Summer questioned.

"Why, you are the key Summer. You are the one who can help us make this happen. I'm sure you know what I'm talking about."

Summer gripped her Crescent Celica as she shook her head, refusing. "No"

"You don't really have a choice here." Raven said as she pointed out her sword towards Summer. Summer shook her head again. "What about Remnant?" Raven only gave a chuckle. "That depends on how hard you fight, Summer."

Summer couldn't believe what she is hearing. Clinching her teeth and gripping her twinblade, she knew what she have to do. With that, the two leapt into the air and clashed.

Hades, Aria, and Blood stood on a rooftop, watching the fight between Summer and Raven take off. Flashes of red and white clashed and collided with each other as the zipped about through out Central Yharnam, now making their way the the old Cathedral Ward.

"Well, leave it to The One-Winged Raven to take care of things." Aria said as they watched from afar. Hades growled. "To think that a Cursed Hunter can fair against her."

"She is more than just a Cursed Hunter, Hades." Came a woman's voice. The three turned around to a woman dressed in black and has extremely pale white skin. It is Salem.

"Mother!" Both Hades and Aria said in unison, expect Blood. Salem walked up to the edge of the rooftop to watch the fight. "The successors are still as strong as I remember. Along side that, how often of you get to witness a Cursed and Silver-eyed hunter turn against each other. Is really is a sight to behold."

"Mother" Hades called out. "What did you mean by 'She is more than just a Cursed Hunter'?"

"Raven, by herself, is already cut from a _unique_ cloth. You see, she is a crossbreed between a human and a Vileblood. So she is not your average human." Salem told him.

"A Vileblood?" Aria said. "I heard about their kind."

"Then you should already know about their inhuman physical abilities. Speed, strength, poised, etc. And their lust and use of blood. Raven is one of the many Vilebloods in Remnant that are crossbreeds. Along with her inherited abilities and traits, she is also granted the supernatural abilities of a Cursed Hunter. Given that she took communion of the blood of Grimm, making her ever so stronger than any normal Cursed Hunter. Much like the Pure Vileblood that trained her."

"Scarlet Cainhurst, one of the Vileblood queens. From the line of Queen Annalise's children of blood." Hades announced.

"You seem to remember her well." Aria said. Hades looked at her. "Who wouldn't?"

"One thing is for sure..." Salem said, regaining their attention. "The Successor to the Moon is in the same category as the Four Seasonal Maidens. They're powerful but they're not unbeatable. Let's see if the One-Winged Raven can handle this."

Summer and Raven clashed and collided throughout the Cathedral Ward, only flashes of red and white can as the clashes created sparks at temporary illuminated the darkness. Summer was knocked away by Raven during the clash. When she recovered, Raven is nowhere in sight. "Where did she go?" Summer looked to her right to see Raven flying towards after jumping of the side of a building. The collision knocked Summer through a window into the Astral ClockTower.

Summer quickly recovered to her feet as Raven jumped in through the broken window and ran at her. "We were born into this world with our eyes blindfolded!" Raven said as she clashed blades with Summer, the two maneuvering around the wide open space within the clocktower. Running along and jumping off walls, even fighting on the spiral staircase. "Our ears, deaf to the melody truth! Our bodies, numb to the shackles that binds us! Our heads, filled with lies created by our ancestors. It will all end starting today!"

Raven sheath her sword for a brief moment, clicking the revolver to fire dust. With that, she pulled out her Chikage engulfed in flames. Raven cut the part of the staircase they are on, causing to fall. Summer jumped to a nearby balcony to save herself. She watched as the part of the staircase burn as it fell.

Raven appeared in a red flash and kicked Summer in the stomach, causing her the crash through another window and fall outside the clocktower. She manifest a chain caught the ledge of the window to save herself, now dangling in the air. _'What's going on? Just a moment ago her fight style was like it always has been. But as the fight went on, it's like she changed into a completely different person.'_

 **AN: Song on youtube. K project: Missing King OST- Showdown**

"Well, this is getting quite entertaining." Came Raven's voice. Summer looked up to see Raven standing on the wall of the clocktower, with her sword back in its sheath. "Come on, let's keep this going." She said as she slowly drew it out, the blade glowing with scarlet hue.

Summer clinched her teeth. "Damn it!" Summer ran at Raven with a slash with Raven sidestepped and deflected. Summer turned around just in time the clash with an attack from Raven who had ran up on her from behind. The two clashed blades for a bit until Summer decided to run up the clocktower. _'I can't fight her here.'_ She thought as she got to the very top. The top of the clocktower may not have much room but its enough for her to move around.

Shortly after, Raven made it to top of the clocktower as well. "Come on Summer! Don't tell me you're running away?" Raven said in an excited tone with her arms spread out, her red eyes glowing. Summer fell to one knee, wincing in pain. "Ah. Looks like you're reaching your limit." Raven said to her only to receive a glowing moonlight glare from Summer. "You're pushing yourself too hard. Stop running. It's inevitable."

"Tch" Summer rose to her feet and took off running again. Raven sighed. "Summer. For someone who was there, I thought you would understand." She then shrugged her shoulders and took off after her. "I guess there is no getting around this."

The two began clashing again. "I'll stop you Raven and I'm taking you back!" Summer yelled as she came down from above with a slash which Raven deflected with her sword in her left hand. Summer twirled her twinblade around and sent a horzanial slash which got deflected as well. "Is that right? Well let's see if you can pull that off!" Raven said with excitement in her voice. The intense fight is obviously bring out her Vileblood side. Summer then ran alongside a wall, transforming her twinblade into dual wield form and jump off at Raven.

"Yes! That's it Summer! Hahaha, this is getting fun!" Raven cheered as the two engaged in a furious fast-paced clash of blades with Raven seemingly dancing to its melody, twirling her Chikage around as she switched it between hands, like a toy.

 _'Damn! No good!'_ Summer ran back to gain some distance but Raven chased after her. "Hey stop running! You're only gonna make it worse!" Summer turned around while running to attack but Raven jumped over her to avoid it. Now a few feet, Summer can finally take some what of breather. She can feel the extreme fatigue on her body. Summer looked up at the scattered moon. "Why. Why do you have to be scattered at a time like this. If only I knew…my powers would be limited." _'I have to escape. I don't think I can hold out much longer.'_ With thought in mind, Summer fused her blades back into twinblade form. The blades at each end began the glow with crescent moon light.

Raven raised an eyebrow as she watched Summer jump into the air, twirling her weapon around. "I create a diversion with this. Haah!" Summer swiped her weapon and launched a moonlight slash that struck the top of the clocktower, creating a huge dust cloud. Once she landed, Summer took off running towards the edge of the clocktower's roof. Before she could get there, something shot upwards out of the dust cloud. Still running, Summer looked up to see what made her eyes widen. What she saw is Raven in the air but what shocked her is that Raven now has a black feathered wing on the back of her right shoulder blade.

"How did she-" Summer then remembered what Scarlet said a Cursed Hunters that night.

 _'The Grimm inside us is like a mimic. A Jack-of-all-trades. It has the traits and attributes of all Grimm...'_

"Shes using one of the Grimm's attributes?"

"Well, if you want to play it that way." Raven said as she sheathing her Chikage to were the bottom part of the red blade is show. She cut her thumb in the blade, drawing blood. "My sword..." Is all she said as her Chikage drank the blood she offered. The blade began the sing with scarlet hue.

 **"** **Renzokuken!"** Raven called out as she swift swiped out her blade. Instead of one red slash, this time it is multiple slashes. Summer ran for the edge as the slashes struck the area around her. She leapt the edge, falling down the side of the tower. She then stabbed her twinblade on the tower to stop herself from falling and focused the aura the her feet to allow her to stand of the tower's side.

She then looked up to see Raven standing several feet away from her. "Come on. Let's expose this world together." Raven said with her arms spread out. Soon afterwards, one of the faces of the clocktower, that is on their side, collapsed to pieces from Raven's attack, several feet behind her. The sounds the clock collapsing echoed throughout the city. Raven used her Art of Quickening to disappear in a fog, avoiding the debris.

Summer clinched her teeth as she transformed her weapon back to dual wield form and did a back flip off the tower, cutting any of the debris got close to her. After cutting one of the debris in half, it revealed Raven coming in from behind. Summer growled as she blocked Raven's attacks within the avalanche of debris. Summer than disappeared in a white flash but she didn't flee far.

Summer reappeared on a rooftop within the Cathedral Ward, not far from the clock tower. Summer fell to both of her knees and dropped her Crescent Celica beside, panting heavily. She watched the avalanche of debris collide with the old grand cathedral below, she knew that wouldn't stop Raven. Soon after, Raven too appeared on the same rooftop in a red flash. She too is panting but not as much as Summer.

"I think I may have used a bit blood much with my Renzokuken." She said to herself.

"Raven, think about...what you're doing. What about Yang-"

"Don't bring her into this." Raven cut Summer off, still panting. "Its bad enough...that my own daughter doesn't know...who I am. But I know how to make up for that."

"You're...you're show her. Aren't you-"

"I think this has gone on long enough. Don't you agree?" Came Salem's sudden voice. Suddenly, a red incantation circle appeared underneath the wore out Summer, red chains wrapping around her.

"What?! AHHH!" Summer felt a shocking pain shoot through her body when the chains touched her.

"How do you like those chains successor?" Came Aria's voice as she appeared along with Salem and the others. "You done quite the work on bagging us this prize One-Winged Raven." Raven said nothing to Aria's compliment, in fact, she kept a straight face. "Don't wanna talk? Oh well." Aria shrugged her shoulders. _'What? You're too proud to take an compliment bitch?!'_

Salem walked up to the restrained Summer. "Well well. The Silver-eyed Hunter's Successor to the Moon. Its nice to finally meet you." She said as she placed a hand on Summer's cheek.

"W-Who...are...y-you?" Summer winced in pain as the paralysis effect from the chains took affect.

"I am Remnant's worst nightmare." Salem said as a black and red portal opened underneath Summer and she slowly started to descend into it. Salem can see the unsettled look on Summer's face. "Oh don't worry. We're not gonna hurt you. We're just gonna hold you for awhile. Preparations are still in affect."

What...are you...gonna force me...to do?" Summer manage to struggle out, the portal now up to her neck. Salem let out a chuckle. "Soon, you will help me lift humanity into its next childhood."

* * *

 **AN: Thanks for reading everyone. This is the longest chapter I've ever written and sorry if I was too frequent with the song recommendation. Remember, it's you're choice to skip them. Anyway, that's from reading. The next chapter will have one of the Bloodborne characters greet you. If there is Bloodborne character you want to greet you next, feel free to let me know.**

 **Also, two questions about the chapter, if you feel like answering.**

 **Q1: How did I do on Raven's change from when she was a kid up to how she is now?**

 **Q2: Any ideas on Father Hunter's identity?**

 **Q3: What do you think Salem has planned for Summer?**


	6. What lies beneath the forest Act 1

**AN:**

 ***You open the door to the monastery only to find no one there.***

 **?: You there. Hunter. *A man drops down in front of you from the rafters above. It's Djura, The Retired Powder Keg Hunter.***

 **Djura: I remember you. I assure you that there are no beast here to be hunted. You're not hunting beast, are you? *Gives a cold glare.***

 ***You explain to him what you are here for.***

 **Djura: Oh good. We don't want to have an altercation like before. This world you're visiting. Remnant, I think they call it now. Now you see what I was telling you. The beast they hunt, Grimm they call them now. Are not beast, their people. It's a shame to see these kids commit senseless murder. Their heads filled with the lies of the world. Well, no matter. They're just kids. They'll understand eventually. But as for you, I'll let you go on ahead. But remember this, if you intended on hunting the beast. Then I...will hunt you. Do you understand?**

* * *

It is now twelve o'clock, high noon in the Kingdom of Vale. The soon-to-be first year students of Beacon are standing at the edge of a high cliff that over looks the vast lush green forest that lies in front of them, the Emerald Forest. The eyes of the students wandered in awe as they gazed upon the breath taking scenery of the emerald green forest.

Rize let out a whistle. "This place sure is gorgeous."

"You said it. It looks a helluva a lot better than the Forbidden Woods." Kazato said in agreement.

"You know guys?" Elisa started as she looked upon the forest. "It looks much better at nig-"

"Shhhh!" Both Kazato and Rize shushed her simultaneously, causing her to put both of her hands over her mouth. Ozpin looked at the three from the corner of his eye and gave a small slight smirk. _'So, this year I have three naturally born Cursed Hunters...'_ He then brought his attention to a seemingly nervous Ruby who is current talking with Yang. _'...And a Silver-eyed Hunter. This year may turn out to be interest. But not only that...'_ He then brought his gaze to Weiss and then to Lucilia. _'A Schnee and a Arcana. Members of two rival families attending my school. I wonder how this will turn out?'_

"Attention first year students." He said aloud, gaining the students attention. What lies in front of you is the Emerald Forest, your initiation exam. Within the forest are artifacts that you must obtain in order to pass the entrance exam."

"Oh? So its like a treasure hunt, right?" Rize asked the headmaster.

"If you choose to look at the scenario as such, then so be it." Ozpin told the raven haired girl. Elisa and Rize let out small giggles of excitement as they bumped their fists together. They are no stranger to finding hidden artifacts. Asides hunting, exploring and raiding chalice dungeons are their past time.

"The platforms you are currently standing on are mechanisms that will give you a _jump start_ on your exam." Ozpin received a few weird looks from the students.

"Um. What do you mean by 'jump start'?" Ruby asked with curiosity clearly in her voice.

"The mechanisms are springs that will propel you into the forest." Glynda directly answered Ruby's question, receiving a 'Say what?!' look from Ruby and some of the other students, especially Jaune.

"Wait-wait-wait! Did you just say 'propel'?" Jaune asked the huntress, nervousness clearly in his tone. Ozpin nodded in response to his question. "That is correct Mr. Arc. You will use your own personal skills to land in the forest. Once you're inside, you are on your own. Anyone you encounter during the exam will become your teammate for the entirety of your four years here at Beacon."

"Do bear in mind that the Emerald Forest inhabits Grimm of all kind. Do be on your guard and proceed with caution." Glynda informed the students as the platforms began to fling them out into the forest, one by one.

"So you're having us take a plunge. You're literally throwing us out to the wolves." Lucilia said to the headmaster and huntress.

"Given that first year students received training prior to their acceptance into Beacon, this exam shouldn't a be a problem." Glynda replied to her comment.

Kazato chuckled to himself. "Well this is certainly no problem for us."

"It's just like how mom and the brotherhood trained us." Rize said in a voice low enough so only her siblings can hear her. Elisa let out a small squeal of excitement. "I'm going to love this place!"

"Wait a minute! How will you know where we are? What if we get lost?" Jaune questioned, not comfortable with the idea.

"We have satellite surveillance of the forest. We will be watching you." Ozpin told the young blond haired man. As the students continued to be propelled out into the forest and Jaune continued with his endless questions. The Cainhurst siblings readied themselves as it got closer to be their turn to be propelled.

"Have fun." Kazato said to his sisters with a smirk as he readied himself.

"Don't die." Rize said with smirk of her own as they got propelled through the air.

* * *

Now flying through the air, Rize laughed with joy and entertainment as she rushed through the tree lines. "Alright, time to get this party started." She said her body began to emitted an red and black mist. With her Grimm enhancing her physical abilities along with her Vileblood traits, Rize reached out and grabbed a branch which she used her momentum to swing off. "Wooohooo!" She jumped from tree to tree until she landed on a tree branch. "Never get tried of that." She said as she swiped her hands together as if swiping off dirt..

Just then, she heard the sound of joyous laughter from the sky above. She looked up and caught sight her little sister, Elisa, flying through the air a few meters away. She seemed to be having the time of her life. Since Elisa's Grimm enhances her normal senses, her sharp eyesight allowed her to see Rize on the branch.

"Hey sis!" Elisa shouted from afar as she is flying through the air, waving to her sister.

Rize chuckled and waved until she saw something that made her eyed widen. "Elisa! Watch out of that tree!" She shouted at the top of her lungs.

"Huh?" The blond looked in front of her to see that she is making a beeline right for a tree. "OH CRAP!" She put up her arms as she braced for an impact that will hurt like hell. Without her noticing, her body began to emit a red and black mist, covering her. She then smack dead into the tree, causing the it to fall. "OWWWWWWWW!"

Elisa's long winded shout of unimaginable pain rang through out the forest. Rize winced after seeing what happened to her sister. "Ow. I hope her Grimm protected her from that. I better go check on her." Rize decided as she dropped down from the tree she was on. After landing on the ground she scanned her surroundings, nothing but a dense wooded area. "Okay little sis. Which way are you?" Just then, she felt that usual vibe again. This time it felt more like a tugging felling in a certain direction. "This feeling. Will it lead me to Elisa?"

Around the same time she felt the vibe, she then began to feel a pulsating feeling that felt like its coming from the pit of her stomach. The Grimm within her is warning her of approaching danger. Other Grimm. Soon after, two hulking Ursa emerged out of the bushes, looking at the young Vileblood with a hunger for blood.

"Oh? Ursa. Are you looking for a playmate?" Rize said to the two hungry snarling Grimm as they continue to approach her. Rize raised an eyebrow. "Oh, so you wanna play with me?" She placed her hand on the handle of her Chikage and slowly drew it out of it's sheath, the red muramasa shining with scarlet hue. "Okay, I'll play with you. But bear in mind though, I'm not like most girls. I like to play rough."

Without warning, both of the Ursa lunged at her, bearing their claws and fangs. Rize sidestepped, dodging the Grimm's vicious attacks as if it's child's play, sticking out her tongue and making face as she did. One of the Ursa stood up on it's hind legs and attempted to get Rize with a swipe from it's right claw. The moment it lifted it's claw, it is immediately cut off by a swift slash from Rize. The Ursa screamed in pain as it stumbled back.

The sight of blood bleeding from the Ursa's body made Rize's eyes begin to glow with a red hue. "Hey..." She said to the Ursa in a calm voice. "You're bleeding. Hmm. What should I do? Sacrifice your blood to my Chikage?" Rize then held out her hand towards the bleeding Ursa. "...Or use my semblance?"

Suddenly, the exposed blood from the Ursa began to be drawn to Rize. Since the Ursa's wound is still bleeding out blood, that too became drawn to her. The Grimm began to grow weak due to it's bleeding wound continuously pumping out more blood, making it exposed to Rize's semblance. The Grimm's blood swirled around in the air, surrounding Rize.

"Now then..." She said as she held up her left hand, getting ready to snap her fingers. **"** **Bloodtinge"** Rize snapped her fingers, causing the blood to turn into spears. The blood spears shot out, piercing through the Grimm's body and pining it against a tree trunk. The Ursa's body fell limp as it hung on the spears made from it's own blood. The last remaining Ursa, let out an enraged roar as it lunged at Rize.

Rize used her art of quicken to disappear in a black fog, avoiding the Ursa as it hit the tree. After recovering, the Ursa looked around for the young girl, sniffing the air for her scent. Rize reappeared on a tree branch above the Ursa. Without a second thought, she dropped down from the tree branch and landed on the Ursa'a back, wrapping her arms around it's neck. The Ursa let a deafening roar as it stood up on it's hind legs and tried to shake the girl off.

"Whoa! Hey! Passenger on board! Settle down!" Rize yelled at the Ursa which, naturally, didn't listen to her as it continued to try and shake her off. Rize's right hand began to emit the black and red mist. "I. Said. Settle. Down!" With that last word, Rize placed her hand on the side of the Ursa's face, the red and black mist affecting it. The Ursa screamed as it felt a presence starting to take over, like possession.

Soon after, the Ursa immediately settled down, getting back on all fours with Rize sitting on it's back. It had a red glowing hand print of the right side of it's face where Rize touched it. The hand print emitting a the usual black and red mist. "Phew, looks like that is a wrap." She let out a breath of relief as she sat on the Grimm's back. "That went exactly as planned. Now that I hijacked myself a Grimm..." Rize looked towards the direction where the strong vibe is pulling her. _'I hope shes okay.'_ "Alright my little Ursie. Giddy up!"

With that command given, the Grimm took off towards the direction Rize wanted it to go. Little did Rize know, Ozpin and Glynda saw what she did on the camera feed. Glynda's mouth was literally about to fall open but she caught herself. "What did she just..." She started out with disbelief clearly in her voice. "...Control a Grimm?!" Ozpin let out a small smile within his cup of coffee as he took a sip. He wondered how this new school year will unfold.

* * *

Else where in the Emerald Forest, Kazato is walking through the forest by his lonesome self. He constantly checked his surroundings. Using his acute sense of hearing to catch any sound of movement as well as using his sharp eyesight to scan his surroundings. Right now, his mindset is that of a hunter on the hunt. With his Burial Blade, in curved sword form, in his right hand and his gun, Evelyn, in his left, he readied himself. Expecting the least expected. "Man. This place would be a playground for the Brotherhood. Considering that I've ran into some C class Grimm, Ursa and Beowolves and a few D classes, Boarbatusks."

"Ruby?!" Came a sudden distant sounding female voice that echoed through the forest. "Huh?" Kazato immediately stopped in his tracks as he tried to listen for the voice, scanning his surroundings again.

"Ruby?!...Rudy!"

"Whoever it is, they're not that far away." He said to himself. "Professor Ozpin said that whoever you run into will become your teammate. Well another thing that the brotherhood has taught me is that it's always best to hunt with a companion rather than alone." Kazato wondered who he would find. Would it be one of his sisters? "Doesn't matter who it is, I'm just grateful to have a chance to find some backup." He then checked his surroundings again. "I don't want to just run through the forest like an idiot. There is no telling what I might run into." He looked up at the trees branches above him and crack a grin.

Putting his blade and gun at his sides, Kazato jumped on the tree trunk and started to climb. When he got to one of the tree branches, he began free running from branch to branch as he made his way towards the voice.

After a few minutes of traveling from tree to tree, Kazato came to an open area in the forest. Looking down from the tree branch he is on, Kazato saw a white haired girl surround by four Beowolf Grimm. It is Weiss. Weiss held her Myrtnaster in her right hand as she stood in her fighting stance, glaring at the Grimm that surround her.

"Hey, its that Schnee chick. What was her name? Whis, I think?" Kazato said to himself as he watched from the tree branch.

 _'Okay Weiss, remember your training.'_ Weiss thought as she made mental notes. _'Check your stance. Steady your breathing. Keep your right foot out. No, not that far out!'_ A glyphs, shaped like a snowflake, suddenly appeared underneath Weiss's feet. Kazato raised an eyebrow when he saw this, curious of what that is. "What is she going to do?"

Suddenly, Weiss shot towards one of the Beowolves with incredible speed. Holding up her Myrtnaster, she stabbed the Beowolf right in the eye, causing it to scream in pain as she backed away. _'Okay. It's going to retaliate with a usual frontal attack. I'll dodge to one of it's sides and finish it off there.'_

Just as she predicted, the Beowolf lunged at Weiss with an intention to bite her. Just as planned, Weiss dodged by quickstepping to the Grimm's right side, spun around with her rapier pointing forward, clicked the revolving chamber of her weapon to apply fire dust, and thrust the tip of her Myrtnaster into the Grimm's side. The Grimm screamed in more pain from the attack but Weiss wasn't didn't stop there. Soon after an explosion ignited, blowing off half of the Beowolf's body. The Grimm let out a bloodcurdling scream as it's burning body flew a few feet away from Weiss.

Kazato let out a whistle of surprise. "Damn, didn't see that coming." He then saw one of the Beowolves stood up on it's hind legs and lunged at Weiss the moment it had the chance. "Uh oh! Thats not good!" He was about to use his art of quicken to quickly get out there or fire his gun to interrupt the Grimm. But before he could do anything, Weiss has already ducked the claw swipe from the Beowolf, dashed in and began attacking it's chest and torso with multiple stabs and slashes. For the finishing move, Weiss jumped up in a 360 spin and decapitated the Grimm with her rapier. It's headless body falling to the ground.

"Shit! Princess have moves!" Kazato said to himself with surprise clearly on his face. The two remaining Beowolves out a alarming howl which sent a chill down Kazato's spine, he is familiar with this howl. "Wait? They're..."

Weiss clicked the revolving chamber again to apply dust and used her glyph to shoot her towards one of the Grimm. But before she could get to her targets...

"...And gotcha!" Ruby, speeding in with a gust of roses, came in to attack the same Grimm as well but ended up slamming into her soon-to-be teammate.

"ARGH!" Both of the girls shouted in pain as they both fell to the ground.

"Ow! Watch where you're going!" Ruby complained as she recovered to her feet. Weiss immediately gave the silver-eyed girl a glare. "Watch where I'm going?! You're the one who attacked out of term!"

While the girls are engaging in their argument, the two Beowolves made their move. Letting out their hungry growls as they lunged at them. Ruby gasped as she hastily readied herself while Weiss just frowned and gritted her teeth, readying herself as well. Suddenly, out of the blue, a flock of crows appeared surrounding the girls and the Grimm.

"W-What's going on?!" Rudy said franticly as she and Weiss vigorously looked around, the flock clouding their vision and the crow's cries drowning their ears. In the midst of it all, Kazato appeared within the flock of crows, standing between the girls and the Grimm. Without a moments delay, he stabbed his curved sword into the chest of one of the Beowolves, causing it to scream in agonizing pain. In a fluent motion, Kazato pulled his blade out of the Grimm's chest, spun around in a 360 spin and decapitated the Beowolf.

Ruby and Weiss can hear the sickening sound of a blade slicing through flesh, followed by the agonizing scream of the Grimm. "What's happening? Is someone out there?" Weiss asked aloud to no one in particular. When the surrounding flock of crows disappeared, the girls caught sight of Kazato standing in front of them, with his back turned, standing over a decapitated Beowolf's body. His curved sword dipping with the Grimm's blood.

"Who is that?" Ruby asked aloud. Weiss said nothing as she observed this sudden newcomer. Kazato looked down at the headless body of the slain Beowolf. His black colored eyes starting to glow red due to the sight of blood. Along with the vibes, this is another thing he could never figure out. Why he always filled a rush of energy and adrenaline whenever he sees blood. Is it his Grimm giving him this feeling? Or is it something else entirely?

"Watch out!" Ruby shouted, snapping Kazato out of his trance. Kazato looked up in time to see the last remaining Beowolf lunging at him. Using his reflexes, Kazato quickly lifted up his Evelyn and shot a single quicksilver bullet; the gunshot echoing through out the forest. The bullet hit the Beowolf right in the eye, causing it to howl in pain and it's movements being interrupted. Seeing his chance, Kazato stabbed his curved sword in the ground and ran towards the stunned Grimm.

"Wait, what is he...?!" Weiss started to question when she saw the young man running towards the Grimm without his weapon.

"Hey, thats dangerous!" Ruby shouted out to Kazato but he kept running. Right now, the only thing that is going through his mind is killing this Grimm. He wanted it to bleed. His right hand started to emit the usual black and red mist and he jabbed he hand into the Grimm's chest. Kazato can feel the Beowolf's hot breath breathing against his face as he looked it dead in the eye. His eyes now red and black. Changing from the eyes of a Vileblood to the eyes of a Grimm. "The End."

Mustering the strength granted to him by his Grimm, Kazato lifted the Beowolf off the ground with his hand still in it's chest. "RWAAAAAH!" He let out a fierce shout as he used his granted supernatural strength to slam the Grimm into the ground.

Both Ruby and Weiss stood slack-jawed, they've never seen anyone do that to a Grimm before. Was that his semblance that allowed him to do that? Kazato, now slightly panting, stood over the lifeless Grimm's body. With his eyes now reverted back to normal, Kazato retrieved his curved sword and put his weapons at his sides as he walked up to the two girls.

"Are you two okay?" He asked still panting a bit.

Ruby snapped out of her shock. "H-How did you do that?!"

"Do what?" Kazato said with confused look but is short lived when Weiss spoke up. "What do you mean 'Do what'? The flock of crows?! What you did to the Grimm?!"

"Oh?" Kazato said as he slightly winced. _'Maybe I should've handle that differently.'_

"Were you using your semblance?" Ruby asked Kazato, which he instantly replied with a nod. "Y-Yeah. I was." _'Even though what I did wasn't even my semblance.'_

Weiss gave Kazato a look after hearing the way he answered. "Why did it sound like you were hesitating to answer?"

"Hey, come on now. I helped you girls out, didn't I? Why am I being interrogated?"

"It's not interrogation, just mere curiosity." Weiss replied as she dropped the subject. "So, who are you?"

Ruby tried to get a good look at Kazato's face. She felt like she seen him somewhere before. "Hey, I remember you. You're that guy who was with Yang yesterday, right?"

"Yang?" Kazato said with a confused look.

"The girl with blond hair you were talking to in the auditorium yesterday. Shes my sister." Ruby told him.

"Oh, her?" Kazato remembered Yang's face. "Shes your sister?

"Well, half sister to be exact. So, I guess this means you're our new teammate, right?" Ruby said which Kazato replied with a nod. "Seems like it. The professor did said that whoever you run into will be your teammate."

"Yes he did. But I don't think he literally meant by _running_ into them." Weiss said as she crossed her arms and sent a glare to Ruby, who only winced at the look being given to her. "I said I was sorry." Ruby once again apologized to Weiss for running into her earlier when the exam began.

Weiss let out an irritated sigh as she brought her attention back to Kazato. "Since you're going to be an new addition to our team, I hope you're familiar team coordination. Unlike someone..." Once again she sent another look towards Ruby,

 _'Oh boy'_ Kazato thought as he crossed his arms, seeing the two go at it again. _'I just met these two and I can already see a problem here.'_ Before he could say anything to the fighting girls, he suddenly felt a pulsating feeling in the pit of his stomach. He knew what it is. His Grimm is warning him of approaching danger. As a natural reaction, Kazato drew out his curved sword and gun, readying himself for what is coming.

This immediately caught the girls attention. "What's the matter?" Ruby asked with a concerned look.

"Guys, get ready. Somethings coming. A whole bunch of it." Kazato told them which he received confused looks in return. Soon after, pack of Beowolves appeared out of the forest in front of them. All of their piercing glowing red eyes looked at the three with a hungry gaze. Ruby and Weiss ran to Kazato's side, readying themselves with their weapons.

 _'This isn't good.'_ Weiss thought as she tried to think of a way for them to escape. Kazato caught sight of Ruby's scythe, The Crescent Rose, and cracked a grin. "Well that gets me into the mood." He said to himself as he put his gun at his side. He attached the handle of his curved sword to the folded metal contraption on his back that is wrapped in bandages. Sparks flew as the blade and the contraption connected and locked together, becoming a scythe.

Now that his Burial Blade is in scythe form, Kazato readied himself for the fight to come.

 _'His weapon can become scythe too? Like mines and Uncle Qrow's?'_ Ruby thought with surprise after seeing Kazato's Burial Blade in trick form. With that thought in mind, Ruby replaced the clip on her Crescent Rose with a fully loaded one, reloading the quicksilver bullets. "Okay guys! We can take'em if we-"

"No, we getting out of here! Haaah!" Weiss shot a wave of fire towards a huge tree with a swipe of her Myrtnaster. The burning tree fell between the trio and the pack of Grimm, the heat of the flames making both parties back away. "Come on! We have to go!" Weiss shouted as she ran off, followed by Ruby and Kazato.

"Where did...they all...come from?" Ruby panted as she and the others tried to catch their breath. Kazato looked back at the way they came from, seeing the area they were in burn ablaze followed by the howls of the Beowolves. "Remember those two Grimm I killed? They gave out a howl to alert the pack that was nearby. They were probably scouts."

Weiss grit her teeth in anger. "This is all your fault Ruby!" She fired at the silver-eyed girl.

"My fault?!" Ruby shouted.

"Here we go again." Kazato said to himself as Ruby and Weiss are about to get into to it again. _'I should probably stop them before they kill each other.'_ "Hey guys" Kazato spoke up but they didn't hear them.

"How is it my fault?!" Ruby argued.

"If you weren't acting reckless and independently, then we could've worked as a team! We could've prevented the Grimm from calling for help and I wouldn't had to set the forest on fire!" Weiss argued back.

"Hellooo?" Kazato spoke up again but they still didn't hear him. This argument between Ruby and Weiss reminds him of when Rize and Elisa get into it sometimes.

"Oh, so you're pinning that on me?!"

At this point, Kazato has had enough and the _older brother_ side of him took over. "HEY!" He shouted, startling the girls. "Shit! Would you two stop arguing! You sound like my damn sisters!"

"Huh?"

"What?"

"It doesn't matter whose fault it was. No one died and nothing is lost. If we're going to be team, then we have to work on how to be in sync with each other. It'll make hunting and teamwork a lot easier." Kazato told them.

"Hmph. You speak as if you come from experience." Weiss replied with a smart remark.

"In fact, I do." Kazato said as he crossed his arms. "My sisters and I were born and raised in a hunter's village that is outside of the kingdoms. So coming face to face with a Grimm is everyday life for us. My sisters and I learned how to be in sync, so we can have each others backs whenever we're hunting or doing whatever. Hunting alone is tough, especially when you find yourself in a bind. You have to constantly watch your own back. If you have someone with you, not only will it take a huge load off your shoulders but will also increase both of your chances of coming back alive. And if you don't learn how to work with someone, then one of these days you're gonna wish you did. So instead of arguing about who screwed up back there. Let's work to prevent it from happening again."

The girls let what Kazato said sink in, he has a point.

"You have a point there." Weiss replied. "But if that is ever going to happen, then ONE of us needs to grow up first." Weiss said as she gave one more look towards Ruby and walked off. Ruby, trying and failing to contain her anger, gritted her teeth. "Grrr...AHHHH!" She let out an angry shout as she swung her Crescent Rose, cutting down a nearby tree as she walked off after Weiss.

Kazato let out an sigh. "I hope their arguing didn't attract any more Grimm to us." He said as he walked after them. But little he know, a huge black feather fell to the ground behind them.

* * *

Rize rode through the forest on the back of the Ursa she has under her control. Naturally running on all four, the Ursa ran at it's top speed. Running and leaping over falling tree trunks and large roots. The vibe became stronger and stronger as the Grimm continued to go in the direction Rize wanted to go. Soon enough, the Ursa came to an wide open area where the vibe is coming from.

Lucilia Arcana stood in the middle of a circle of snarling Ursi and Beowolves, their piercing red eyes having a hungry gaze. Despite being surrounded by Grimm that wants to rip her apart, Lucilia stayed calm and relaxed. Her seemingly glowing purple eyes glaring at the monsters before her. On her left side she has a black and gold Evelyn that has the words _'Elegant Death'_ carved on both sides in gold cursive writing, and on her right she has a weapon that is a hybrid of a saber and a rapier, the Reiterpallasch. Lastly, she has a black rectangular metallic box with glowing blue lines, hanging just below her lower back. Like the case for Elisa's gunblade, Cerberus.

She drew out her Reiterpallasch and her Evelyn as she readied herself. _'Good. As long as I don't feel any fear, they won't get rallied up.'_ She though. _'Also, I can feel someone nearby. Who could it be?'_ While she is in her thoughts, one of the Beowolves took this chance to make the first move by lunging for her. Lucilia dodged by quickstepping to the side and slashed the Grimm deep in it's side. Lucilia can feel her blade crunch through the Beowolf's ribs and possibly struck it's lung.

The Beowolf fell lifeless to the ground, it's body starting to faded in a red and black mist. Two Ursi came charging in from behind. Lucilia used her art of quicken, vanishing into a fog, to evade the Ursi. The Ursi looked around in confusion after their prey had vanished. Lucilia appeared above one of the Ursi and came down with her blade pointing down. She came down upon the Ursa, piercing the tip of her Reiterpallasch through the back of it's neck. Killing it instantly. The second Ursa retaliated by standing up and sending a swipe with it's left claw, which Lucilia ducked and moved in for the kill.

She thrust her blade into the Grimm's chest, spun around and slashed one of it's hind legs which caused it to fall to the ground. The next thing the Ursa heard is a 'cling' sound. When it looked up, it saw Lucilia pointing her weapon at it's face. The blade of her Reiterpallasch is now moved to the side, revealing a gun barrel that is part of the weapon's handle. The young vileblood gave a cold glare as her purple eyes met with the Ursa's red ones. Pulling the trigger, she shot a quicksilver bullet right between the Grimm's eyes, it's body now lifeless.

"Try to regenerate from that, beast." She said coldly as her eyes started to glow red from the sight of blood. Lucilia then brought her attention towards the group of Grimm that still stood before her. "If any of you Grimm possess a single shred of intelligence, then you would run. Now."

Ignoring her warning, the surrounding Grimm all began to charge in. Lucilia sighed. "As expected from beast." She said as she put her gun at her side and reached for the rectangular metal case. Suddenly, a large shadow appeared over Lucilia followed by a joyous laughter. Quickly looking up, Lucilia's eyes widen with surprise when she saw an huge Ursa leaping over her through the air. Rize jumped off the Ursa's back and landed next to Lucilia.

"Hey there, how is the hunt?" Rize said to the platinum blond haired girl in a friendly happy tone as she rose to her feet. _'So it wasn't Elisa I was being drawn to.'_

 _'Shes the one I was sensing? So that must mean shes...'_ Lucilia though as she looked at the raven haired girl with her stilling glowing red eyes.

"Say, your that Arcana chick who confronted that princess yesterday. If I remember correctly, your name is Lucilia, right? I'm Rize." Rize then brought her attention to the Grimm that surrounded them. "I see that you have a bit of a Grimm problem."

"Did you just ride here on a Ur-" Before Lucilia could ask her question, she is interrupted by the roaring sounds of the Grimm which attracted her attention. To her shock and surprise she saw the Ursa that Rize rode on, fighting it's on kind. "What?"

"Yeah thats right! You show them whose boss!" Rize cheer the possessed Ursa on. Lucilia gasped when she caught a glimpse of the glowing red hand print on the side of the Ursa's face. _'That mark. Did she...brand that Grimm? Could she be...a Cursed Hunter?'_ "Hey, Rize right? Before we continue this dance. There is something I want to ask you. Are you a Cursed Hunter?"

Rize let out a silent gasp. "How do you..."

"If you're familiar with my family, then you should also know that we're associated with the Black Wing Hunters. Because of that, I know that you used your Grimm to influence that Ursa." Lucilia answered Rize's question before she could ask it. Rize face palmed for not thinking that. "Of course, you're an Arcana. Well then, let's get this party started." Rize said as she slowly drew out her Chikage, it red blade shining in the sunlight. Her eyes starting to turn red. "I hope you're thirsty. Chikage: The Bloodedge." She said with a small smile as she pointed the blade at the Grimm.

 _'So thats the Chikage.'_ Lucilia thought as her and Rize are now standing back to back. _'Said to be the sister weapon to the Rakuyo. Said to be a blade that endlessly carves for blood. Let's what they say about it is true.'_

* * *

Elsewhere in the forest, Elisa is walking by herself rubbing her head due to a bad headache. "Ow! I though my Grimm was suppose to protect me from harm, not let me still feel the pain." She let out a sigh. _'I've been walking for about an hour and I haven't ran into anyone yet. I wonder if Kazato and Rize are okay.'_

"YOU MONSTERS!" Shouted out an furious female voice followed by the sounds of loud gunshots that rang throughout the forest. Elisa stopped in her track. "Oooo. Someone sounds like they're having fun." Just then, she started to sense that unexplained vibe again. "What? It's that feeling again. Could it be Rize?" Just then a Ursa, lit on fire, came crashing through the trees towards Elisa's direction!

"Whoa!" Elisa cartwheeled out of the path of the burning Ursa is it flew past her. "What the hell?!"

"WHAT?! YOU WANT SOME TOO?!" Yelled the female voice in even more anger, the vibe getting stronger. Elisa cracked a smile of amusement. "I don't know who this is, but I sure would like to meet them." With that said, she took off running towards the direction where the Ursa came from.

After running, Elisa came across a pack of Beowolves that are surrounding two familiar faces. Yang and Blake, standing back-to-back. Yang clinched her fists with her Amber Celica as she hopped back and forth in her fighting stance. Blake readied herself with her Gambol Shroud. Her blade in her right hand and the sheath in her left. Her amber cat eyes glared at the monsters before her and Yang.

"Any plan on how to handle this?" Blake asked the brawler without any hint of fear in her voice. Yang grinned and let out a chuckle. "Easy. Hit them hard and make sure they don't get back up." She said with a fist pound. Blake said nothing as she and Yang ran towards the Grimm.

Elisa watched from behind a tree as the brawler and the Fanus took on the pack of Beowolves. Yang took out Grimm after Grimm with her power packed punches, the gunshots of her Amber Celica echoing with each punch. One of the Beowolves tried to gether with a claw swipe from behind, but unfortunately Yang ducked it. The brawler jabbed her right elbow into the Grimm's stomach, causing it the growl in pain. Yang cracked a smile as she clinched her left fist, fire starting to engulf it as her eyes started to glow red.

She began punching the Grimm repeatedly, her punches getting faster and even more powerful as they started to lift the Grimm off the ground. She can hear her punches breaking the Grimm's ribs. For the final blow, Yang slammed the Beowolf into the ground with her right fist, causing the ground underneath them to crack with a fiery blaze. "Alright. Who's next?" Yang said with a smile of excitement as she cracked her knuckles. After reloading the quicksilver bullets in her Amber Celica, Yang fired the gauntlet behind her. Rocketing herself toward.

Elisa let out a whistle of impression. "Whoa! Shes pretty good! So she likes things close and personal, just like me. Also..." Elisa started to feel that vibe again, but this time it's coming from Yang. Her attention is then drawn by the sounds of gunshots. She looked to see Blake dispatching Grimm in fluent movements with her fighting style. The Grimm tried to get the cat fanus but unfortunately Blake is too fast for them.

Using her agility granted to her by her fanus heritage, Blake swiftly quickstepped to dodge an claw swipe from one of the Beowolves. She swung her blade, cutting into the Grimm's side and slicing through it. She spun around with her sheath and hit another one of the Beowolves in the face for trying to get her from behind. When the Grimm recovered, all it sees is Blake giving it a cold stare, pointing her gun at it's face before there is a flash and everything suddenly went red. Blake fired a quicksilver bullet deep into the Beowolf's skull, it's body falling lifeless to the ground.

Elisa watched the two take on the pack, overwhelming excitement starting to build up inside her. "Oh man! Watching them fight gives me the urge to just run out there and tear up some Grimm." She said with excitement in her tone. Before she could take off into the fray, Elisa noticed two large partially armored Beowolves lagging behind the pack, not making one attempt to engage.

Elisa gave a weird look when she saw this. "What are they just-" She then gasped after getting a good look at the two Grimm. "Are they...older and mature Grimm?" She asked herself. "Judging by their appearance, more than likely they are." She then remember one of the things the brotherhood taught her and her siblings about the Creatures of Grimm and what truly makes them dangerous. Unlike most beast, the Grimm learn from their past mistakes and failures, granted if they survive. As they get older, they become smarter and they'll start finding ways to become more effective hunters in their on way.

"They're using the younger Grimm as a diversion, waiting for the right time to strike! Those smart asses! The hunters always say not to engage them alone, but I don't have much of a choice." She then cracked a smile of excitement. "Well, this should be interesting." Without a second though, Elisa took off running into the fray with child-like glee. The two large partially armored Beowolves can hear fast approaching footsteps coming from behind them. One of them turned to see Elisa running wide open towards them and lunged at her.

 _'With that armor, the most effective areas I can attack with my martial arts are protected. Oh what the hell.'_ With a childish giggle, Elisa jumped over the Grimm's attack and landed on top of it's head, using it as a footstool as she jumped off into the air. Clinching her right gauntlet, the blond came down delivering a powerful punch across the other Grimm's face, stunning it.

The Beowolf that attacked first, came in from behind to sink it's teeth into it's new prey. Using her art of quicken, Elisa vanished into a black fog, confusing the Grimm as it missed it's target. Suddenly, it got kicked in the lower jaw, growling in pain as it's head snapped upwards. The blond reappeared a few feet away from the Grimm. "Come on! Come on! I'm just warming up!" Elisa taunted Grimm. After recovering from being stunned, the Grimm let out a fearsome roar as they ran towards Elisa, bearing their fangs.

The sound of the Grimm's beastly roar caught Yang's attention, who had already taken down three more Grimm. "Who is that?" The brawler asked herself, seeing this newcomer taking on two large armored Beowolves as they slowly circled around her. "Hey Blake!" Yang called out to her fanus companion who had just stabbed the last Beowolf in the head with her sword. "Theres a girl over there! We have to help her!

Blake looked to see the hulking Beowolves circling a blond haired girl, ready to attack at any moment. She let out a small gasp, knowing the situation that the mysterious blond is in is not a good one. Blake simply gave a nod as she and Yang ran off to assist this newcomer.

Elisa watched the two large Beowolves circle around her. "The old 'Cornered Rat' trick, huh?" _'I could use the power of my Grimm, but I think I can settle this with my own skill rather than relying on my supernatural abilities.'_ Elisa though as she started to reach for the black rectangular metallic case hanging just below her lower back. _'As I thought, my martial arts are no good against their armor. Luckily, I can be quite creative in making a way.'_

With that, Elisa touched the black metallic case with her right hand, causing one of the ends to open and reveal the handle of Elisa's gunblade, Cerberus. She grabbed the weapon's handle and pulled the weapon out of it's case, revealing the black weapon in gun form. "Thank you Arcana Weapons Industries. How I love you so." She pressed a button and swung out her weapon, causing it to transform into it's usual flame shaped blade. "Now to put Claire's training to use." She then began to concentrate while still keeping her eyes on the Grimm circling her. Elisa felt a urge of energy as lightning began to emit from her right arm and channeled to her gunblade. Shes using the proud technique of the Arcana family, arcane magic. The markings on the blade began to glow a dark blue with electricity coursing through the blade.

"That should be enough power." She said as she looked at the Grimm. "What I have in my hand is a high frequency blade developed by the hands of the Arcana family." She said as she pointed the blade that the Grimm. "Infused with high frequency technology, with enough power this blade can vibrate at high frequencies and can therefore weaken and sever a target's molecular bonds. In other words, it can allow me to cut through almost anything." With that, she gave a smirk. "So, let's see how well your armor does against it." With that said, one of the Beowolves finally decide to making the first move with a lunge.

Elisa quickstepped to the left to dodge the attack and struck the Grimm's armored side with her electrified blade. Doing as it is said to do, the blade weakened and severed the molecular bonds within the Grimm's armor that held it together, thus cutting through it. The Grimm quickly jumped away, only escaping with a slashed side. The second Beowolf came charging at Elisa which she slid underneath the Grimm, slashing away at the armor protecting it's under belly with her blade as she passed between it's legs. Electricity flowing as it cut through the armor, exposing the under belly.

Now that the armor protecting the Grimm's vital spots are broken, Elisa went in for the kill. Transforming her weapon back into gun mode, she shot a few electrified rounds at the Grimm's partially armored back as she ran towards it. The moment the hulking Beowolf turned around to face her, Elisa is already upon it and is about to begin her attack.

"You're my prey now!" Elisa yelled in a forceful tone as her amber colored eyes began to glow red. With Cerberus in her right hand, she transformed it back into blade form and held it in reverse. In a fluent motion, Elisa horizontally slashed the hulking Grimm across it's torso as she spun around and kicked the wound, causing the Grimm to growl in pain. The Grimm tried to reach down and grab the young Vileblood after she had inflicted a few more slashes. Elisa performed a back flip to avoid the Grimm and jumped into the air, transform Cerberus back into gun mode and shot some electrified shots that the Grimm's open wound. The Grimm screamed in agonizing pain as the electricity paralyzed it's body.

For the finishing move, Elisa ran towards the paralyzed Grimm, tossing Cerberus up into the air in front of her as it transformed back into blade mode. Jumping into the air, she focused her aura to the bottom of her right foot as it caught Cerberus by it's handle. Flying towards the Grimm, Elisa readied a kick with Cerberus attached to the bottom of her right foot.

"And, that's game." She winked as she swung a kick with the blade and decapitated the large Grimm. The moment Elisa touched the ground, the second Beowolf suddenly came in from behind.

"Damn!" Elisa said under her breath as her body began to emit the usual black and red mist without her knowing. But this time, the mist seemed to be moving as if it's acting independently. Before the Grimm could attack the blond, there is a sudden gunshot followed by a furious yell. The Grimm then suddenly got hit in the face with a powerful punch from another blond that came rocketing through the air with her gauntlets, causing it to get knocked back.

"Phew" Elisa let out a breath of relief as Yang landed in front of her with her back turned.

"Hey, you have some pretty nice moves there." Yang complimented as she readied herself to fight again. Seeing Blake fighting the Grimm, using her semblance to confuse it. "Guess this means you're on our team now."

"Yeah, looks like it. Thanks for the help." Elisa said to the brawler as she too readied herself to continue on. "Theres nothing like a good hunt, right?"

Yang let out a chuckle. "You said it." With that said, both of the blonds raced into the the fight, soon followed by the Grimm's agonizing cries which echoed throughout the forest.

* * *

Ruby, Weiss, and Kazato stopped in their tracks when they heard the echoing scream. "What was that?" Ruby asked her companions.

"It sounded like someone bagged themselves a Grimm." Kazato answered her question.

"Well its best that it was a Grimm and not a person." Weiss added as they continued to walk on.

"Kazato, right?" Ruby called out to the messy raven haired boy who replied which a 'Hm?'. "Your weapon, it can turn into a scythe. Just like mine. "

"Oh? My Burial Blade? Yeah, after seeing yours out it just put me in the mood. It needs the contraption on my back in order to transform. I've really taken a liking to scythe weapons." Kazato told her.

"Really? Me too. I have a uncle who has a weapon that is similar to yours. I based my Crescent Rose off of his." Ruby said as she transformed her weapon into scythe form and hugged it.

 _'Heh, I see that she has an obsession with weapons. Kinda like Elisa's obsession with ice cream.'_ "I also have a uncle who got me into the whole scythe thing."

"You do too?" Ruby asked him.

"Yeah, well, hes not actually my uncle. My sisters and I just call him that. He too has a Burial Blade." _'Speaking of Uncle Edward, I wonder how he is doing? He didn't contact us yesterday or today. I hope hes alright.'_ Kazato thought until Ruby's voice snapped him out it. "Kazato, did you hear me? Are you alright?"

"Huh? O-Oh yeah, I was just thinking about something. What was your question?"

"How did you make your weapon?"

"You heard of Arcana Industries, right? They provided the material for the people of my village to forge their weapons." He told Ruby which she only gave a confused look. "Arcana...Industries?"

Kazato looked at her dumbstruck. "You don't know about them?"

"The name doesn't ring a bell." Ruby responded as she rubbed the back of her head.

"She probably seen their products but never knew their name." Weiss added in which Kazato nodded. "That would make sense. Arcana Weapons Industries, also known as AWI, is a company that creates weapons and materials used by Huntsmen and Huntresses today. Like the quicksilver bullets for example. Arcana Industries created those bullets using a special material that prevents Grimm from regenerating." Kazato explained to Ruby.

"Okay, I see." Ruby said with a nod. "But I created my Crescent Rose on my own, so it didn't come from them."

Weiss only shook her head and sighed. "Weren't you even listening? Yes, you created your weapon. But where do you think the material needed to create it came from?"

"Oh" Was all Ruby said.

"My weapon was also developed by them, sadly." Weiss as she crossed her arms.

"Why do you say 'sadly'?" Kazato asked.

"In case you don't know, my family and the Arcanas don't get along." Weiss told him. "We're like oil and water. We don't mix. Remember what happened yesterday?"

 _'Thats right. I do remember Claire saying that the Arcanas are at 'war' with the Schnees.'_ Kazato thought. After awhile, Ruby and Kazato got back on the scythe subject which eventually lead to the mention of Gehrman, The First Hunter and that scythe weapons of today are believed to the based off of his Burial Blade. Unfortunately, Weiss and Kazato had to give Ruby a brief lesson on who Gehrman is. The one who started the first generation of hunters.

Eventually, the three came to an old raggedy looking rope bridge at reaches over a huge gap in the earth. Down below they could see nothing but a thick fog with, what looks like, the top of ruins sticking out. Weiss swallowed. "W-Where do you think this will lead?"

"There is one a way to find out." Ruby said as she got ready to use her speed the zoom across the bridge.

"Don't even think about Ruby." Kazato said as he put his hand in front of her, his big brother instincts taking over. Ruby give him a weird look. "What? Why?"

"We don't even know how sturdy that thing is and you're just gonna run across?!" Weiss shouted that her. "It looks too risking. It's best that we turn around and find another way."

"Yeah but..." Kazato spoke up. "What if the artifact we're looking for is on the other side?"

Ruby nodded. "He could be right Weiss." Weiss gave them a look. "You really think they would put the artifact in a place this?!"

"We'll know for sure when we make it across. You two wait here. I'll go first and check out the bridge." Kazato said as he walked towards the bridge.

"H-Hey, wait!" Weiss shouted out to stop him but he is already on the bridge. Slowly and carefully, Kazato walked on the old raggedy rope bridge. He kept his hands on the ropes on the side of the bridge that act as railings. Kazato can feel the rope bridge sway a little bit from his movements. His heart began to race in his chest and his forehead started to sweat. Kazato looked down and saw how high up he is from the misty ruins below. He swallowed as his legs began to feel weak, but he forced himself to keep standing. _'Come on Kazato, you've hunt Grimm before. The hunters would laugh if they find out that you let a bit of height scare you.'_ He thought as he looked back at how far he came.

"I think it's sturdy enough. Okay, it's all good! One of you get on next!" His yelled out to the girls.

"I'll go." Ruby said as she got on the bridge, hearing the sound of her weight pressing down on the wooden planks.

"Ruby!" Kazato called out which got her attention. "Move slow and steady! And whatever you do, don't look down!" Ruby nodded as she continued on, moving slow and steady like Kazato said. "Don't look down. Whatever you do, don't look down." Ruby said to herself repeatedly to keep herself from looking down. "Weiss, come on!" Ruby yelled out.

"You two think I'm going to get on that thing?! You're out of your minds!" Weiss shouted.

"Stop whining and come on! We're not leaving you behind." Kazato yelled back. Ruby is almost to Kazato until one of the wooden planks she stepped on broke. Ruby screamed as she looked down, seeing the broken piece of wood falling into the mist. The sight of how high up she is made her legs feel weak as she grabbed on to one of the ropes.

"Ruby! Hold on, I'm coming!" Kazato shouted as he started to make his way back. Suddenly, there is a loud screech that echoed through out the large space. Soon after, a Nevermore shot out from the mist below and into the air. It let out a screech as it started circling around.

"No, not a Grimm! Not now!" Kazato said when he saw the giant bird-like Grimm. The Nevermore flapped it's wings, shooting it razor sharp feathers at Kazato and Ruby on the bridge. The storm of feathers cut the rope supporting the bridge, causing it to fall followed by Ruby screaming.

"Guys!" Weiss shouted until suddenly the Nevermore came around and snatched her up with it's claw and carried her away. "LET ME GO!"

"SON OF A BITCH!" Kazato yelled as he and Ruby fell. Grabbing Ruby's hand with his left hand, he grabbed one of the ropes with his right hand as they are falling. Kazato let out a scream of agonizing pain as the rope burned his hand, but he never let go. Eventually, the rope snapped followed by Kazato's and Ruby's echoing screams as they feel into the mist below.

* * *

 **AN:**

 **Djura: Well. That was quite the display. But like I said before, their committing senseless murder without having any knowledge of what they're doing. From here, I've seen how our world evolved into what it is now. But the people still have learned nothing. That brotherhood, I know for certain that they know about the beast yet they continue to hunt them. *Sighs***

 **Djura: Yharnam has fallen for a second time. It's people, now beast. And this time, the Healing Church fell with it. Or did it? Let me let you in on something. The Healing Church may have fallen, but it's remnants live on. And it seems that they're more involved with the world than the Church ever was. You'll have to discuss that with Alfred when it is his time to greet you. But until then, I'll be seeing you again soon.**


	7. What lies beneath the forest Act 2

**AN: Hey everyone! I hope you all enjoyed your Christmas. I didn't have internet for the past few days so I couldn't update as soon as I liked. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this late Christmas present from me.**

* * *

"RUBY! GRAB MY HAND!" Kazato shouted at the top of his lungs so his voice could be heard over the sounds of rushing air as he and Ruby fell further into the ruins. Without questioning, the silver-eyed girl reached and grabbed Kazato's hand. But unfortunate for him, since Ruby is on his right side, she grabbed the hand that was burned by the rope. Kazato winced and groaned from the pain but ignored it.

Immediately after she grabbed his hand, Kazato pulled Ruby to him and held her close. A look of shock and surprise instantly appeared on Ruby's face, feeling his tight embrace.

"HOLD ON TO ME AND CLOSE YOUR EYES! I HAVE A PLAN!" Kazato yelled over the loud rush of air. Doing as he said, Ruby grabbed on to his vest and shirt with a tight grip and shut her eyes tight. "I SAID GRAB ON TO ME! NOT MY CLOTHES!" Kazato yelled over the rush of air once again but Ruby didn't hear him. _'Screw it!'_

Kazato looked and saw that they rushing towards some wooden planks. Without a second thought, he turn and positioned Ruby and himself to where his back is facing the planks, protecting Ruby. "Come on Grimm! You better protect us!" Kazato said as his eyes turned black and red and the usual black and red mist emitting from his body, surrounding him and Ruby. "DAMMIT!" Kazato shouted as he braced himself for impact.

He crashed through the wooden planks, clinching his teeth as pain instantly shot through his back but still kept his hold on Ruby, shielding her from the wooden planks. Kazato crashed through a few more wooden planks until he landed on a large rock that is sticking out of the side the ruins walls.

"ARGH!" Kazato shouted in pain as he and Ruby, still holding on to each other, rolled off the side and landed on the stone floor below. Kazato still being the shield. Kazato groaned from the aching pain he is feeling in his body as he laid on the cold stone floor with Ruby on top of him. _'Well, you kept me alive and prevented my bones from being broken into a million piece. But could you at least done something about the pain?'_ He thought, referring to his Grimm. The black and red mist faded and his eyes returned back to normal.

Ruby opened her eyes and sat up. She held her head with her right hand for she felt a slight headache. "Ow" She then looked around at the place they are in. It looked like some type of circular stone room. Within the room she saw old pieces of armor and...bones?! "Where...are we?" She asked herself as she looked up, seeing how far they had fallen. She can see the light from the outside shining in, like a light at the end of a dark tunnel.

"...Ruby..." Came Kazato's voice. When Ruby looked down, she gasped as her eyes widened after seeing the state he is in. "Kazato! Are you alright?!" Ruby franticly asked the raven haired boy. Kazato winced in pain from Ruby's sudden movement. "Get...off...me first." He told her.

"Huh?" Ruby blinked as she looked down to see that she is sitting on top of him, which made her silver eyes become as full as the moon and a blush started to appear on her cheeks. She immediately jumped off of him as she remained knelled down at his right side. "I'm so sorry! Did I hurt you?" She asked him franticly.

"Don't worry, I'm fine." He said as he started to slowly sit up, with the assistance of Ruby.

"Are you sure?" She asked with concern still in her voice. She then looked down and saw the burn on Kazato's right hand. "Your hand!" She gasped.

Kazato looked at the rope burn on his hand. "Oh yeah. I did get burned when I tried to grab the rope."

"I don't have any fast-acting medicine. Do you have anything that I can wrap it with? Maybe that bandage on your forehead?" Ruby asked, motioning to Kazato's bandage covered forehead.

Kazato took a moment before answering. "Yeah sure. Go ahead." With he's permission given, Ruby reached over and undid the bandage on his forehead. With that, she bandaged the palm of his hand. "There you go. All done."

"Thanks Rub." Kazato said as he looked at his bandaged hand. Looking back at his face, Ruby noticed a long faint scar that runs diagonally across the middle of Kazato's forehead. Her curiosity began to set in.

"Um, Kazato?"

"Hm?"

"How did you...get that scar?" Ruby asked curiously. Kazato reached up and touched his forehead. "Oh this?" His fingertips rubbing the scar. "This is what you get when you don't take a Grimm seriously, no matter how good you think you are. That's if you're lucky enough to survive."

"You were...attacked by a Grimm?"

"More like sucker punched. Though thats what I get for being reckless and cocky." He then reached for something in his vest. "Let's try to find a way out of here." With that, Ruby nodded as she stood up and started to explore the large stone room they're in. Making sure Ruby doesn't see him, Kazato took out a blood vial from his vest.

"Ugh. Just in case I do have any injuries. Plus, to also get rid of this annoying burn." With that, he tilted the blood vial up to his lips, the metallic taste of blood meets his taste blood. Soon after, the aching pain he is feeling began to melt away along with the rope burn on his right hand being healed instantly. But he still kept the bandage on it. "Bleh!" Kazato disliked the taste but his body says otherwise.

"Hey Kazato!" Ruby called out to him from across the room, her voice echoing. "I think I found something!" Getting up to his feet, Kazato walked over to where Ruby is. In front of them is a huge double door made of stone. The door seemed to have some type of strange language craved into it and with strange images that look like people and _other_ _beings_.

"Is this some kind of door?" Ruby asked as she touched the cold stone door, running her fingers over the markings. Kazato studied the door, something about it seemed familiar. "Wait a minute." He said as he touched the door. "This...is a door to a Chalice Dungeon!" He said with surprise clearly in his voice.

Ruby looked at him with a confused look. "What's a Chalice Dungeon?"

"Think of them as catacombs or tombs. According to history, this tombs where made by a race called the Pthumerians. These tombs are scattered throughout Remnant." Kazato explained to her.

"They are?" Ruby blinked which Kazato only nodded. "Yeah. I wonder which dungeon we have here."

"How do you know about these? And what's inside?" Ruby asked the raven haired boy.

"Whenever my sisters and I are not hunting, we usually explore and raid any Chalice Dungeons we can find. As for what's inside, who knows? All of the dungeons are not the same and they vary. Though there are stuff of value in there."

"I see. Well, what are we waiting for? Let's check it out." With that said, Ruby placed her hands on the door and started to push. Kazato grinned as he too placed his hands on the door and helped her push. "Now you're speaking my language." The door slowly began to open as the two pushed against it with all of their might, the sound of the door echoing as it opened.

Now that the door is opened wide enough, the two walked into the tomb. At first it is pitch black in the dungeon, they couldn't see a thing. Well, Ruby couldn't see anything for she is trying her best to feel for something, anything in the darkness. As for Kazato, one of his supernatural abilities automatically kicked in, granting him a sight that is similar to night vision. In the darkness, he can see detailed white outlines of the area that he and Ruby are in. They appeared to be on the second floor of a large chamber. He then looked over to Ruby who is stilling feeing around for something, like a light switch. As if there is one.

He can see the detailed white outlines of her figure, shape, clothing, and facial features. This is what a Grimm sees in total darkness. Suddenly a yellow glow appeared and dimly lit the large chamber that they're in. "Huh? Light?" Ruby said in confusion but also in relief that she see again. Looking in front of them, both of the teens stood there wide eyed and slack-jawed after they saw what is dimly lighting to dark chamber.

In the middle of the chamber is a huge yellow cloud of, what looks like, glowing dust particles. These particles flowed throughout the chamber like a gentle sandstorm, electricity surging through the cloud.

"Wow..." Ruby said in a low voice as she looked around in wonder as this energy flowed around her and Kazato. "What...is this?" Ruby asked her companion. "It looks like...Dust."

"It is Dust..." Kazato said with amazement in his voice. "So this dungeon is an Ailing Loran Dungeon!" He held out his right hand, some of the dust particles gathering at the palm of his hand.

"This is Dust?" Ruby has never seen Dust like this before. Kazato gave her a nod. "Yeah. More accurately, this is arcane. Dust in it's purest form."

"Arcane? What is that?"

"It's pure energy, used for arcane magic. When it's in this form, it's arcane. When it turns into a crystal, it becomes Dust. Basically, they're both one and the same." Kazato explained to her. "One of my mentors, who is a member of the Arcana family, told me that our aura, our lifeforce, is intertwined with this energy. Which is apparently why it can work in tandem with our semblances and why we can learn and perform magic."

"You've seen something like this before?" Ruby threw another curious question which Kazato shook his head. "I've seen small amounts of arcane a few times before, but I never seen large amounts like this."

Ruby then walked up to the edge of the second floor where there is a stone railing. "So how do we get out of here?" Kazato walked up beside her and leaned over the rail. "There should be a door around here somewhere." The two scanned the large chamber for a door of any kind.

"Hey, over there. Isn't that a door?" Ruby pointed towards a golden door that is on the floor below.

"Good eye Rub." Kazato complimented, seeing the door.

"Alright! Let's get moving!" Ruby said aloud in her usual cheery tone as she started to walk off.

"Ruby, wait a minute." Kazato called out, causing the silver-eyed girl to turn around. "What's wrong?"

"There are some things that I want to warn you about a Chalice Dungeon. First, watch your step. Be aware of your surroundings. These dungeons are known to have booby traps."

"Booby traps?" Ruby blinked which Kazato gave her a nod. "Not only that, there are also _things_ that lurk in these dungeons?"

"Things? Is it Grimm?" Ruby asked the raven haired boy who just shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know. Each dungeon has their different _inhabitants_. Just follow my lead and we'll make it out of here in one piece, okay?"

"Roger that!" Ruby gave a two-fingered salute before walking off. Kazato just shook his head and chuckled at Ruby's attitude despite her being in a very unfamiliar place. But in truth, he couldn't help but worry for her well-being down here. Even though Ruby can handle herself, she's still not aware of how fast things can go south in a Chalice Dungeon. _'I'll make sure both of us get out of here in one piece.'_ With that thought in mind, Kazato walked off toward where Ruby is, the silver-eyed girl waving him over.

* * *

After getting to the bottom floor, Ruby and Kazato stood in front of the door. The door has a golden texture to it along with the same strange symbols. Kazato drew out his curved sword and tapped on the door a few times, the sound echoing throughout the chamber.

"What are you doing?" Ruby asked with a raised eyebrow.

"You always want to knock on these doors before opening them. There is no telling what might be on the other side." Kazato told her. After he didn't hear anything respond to his tapping on the other side of the door, he put his curved sword back on his side. He squatted down, grabbed two handles on the bottom of the door and lifted up.

Ruby held her Crescent Rose, which is in gun form, ready to shoot whatever might be on the other side. Ready provide cover fire of Kazato. She pressed her back against a nearby pillar to help support against the recoil of her weapon, so it won't knock her off her feet. After Kazato opened the door, it revealed a large corridor which the two walked into.

"Whoa!" Ruby said in astonishment at the sheer size of the huge corridor. As usual, the architecture of it's walls are that of a tomb. It's walls are riddled with spider webs and roots from trees. She then looked up to see that are is light shining in from the ceiling above. But the one thing she noticed the most is yellow Dust flowing in the air around them, electricity surging from it. _'This place. Is it really filled with Dust?'_

"Hey Ruby" Came Kazato's voice which snapped her out of her amazement. "Yeah?"

"When walking down the corridors of any Chalice Dungeon, always walk on the side. Not down the middle."

"Don't walk down the middle of the corridor? Why not?" Ruby asked with a confused look.

"Remember those booby traps I mentioned earlier? Apparently the people who made these tombs are fond of floor traps. They have panels on the floor that activates the trap when stepped on. Also, keep your eyes peeled for weird looking statues with gasping mouths. If you see one them, break them if you can. They are dead giveaways that are is a trap panel nearby."

"Statues? What do they do?"

"Well...they uh..." Kazato scratched the back of his head. "...Shoot fire arrows at you." At that moment, Ruby's eyes went wide. "Shoot fire arrows?!" Kazato figured that Ruby wouldn't take the sound of that likely, no one would. "Are there...any other traps I need to watch out for?"

"Well..." Kazato started. "...Keep an eye out for the ceiling as well."

"The...ceiling? Whats on the ceiling?"

"Just keep an eye out okay? I think I've told you enough with fire arrow trap." With that said, Ruby gave a nod as they approached a small door. Kazato placed his hands on the door before pushing it. "Are you ready?" He looked back at the silver-eyed girl who responded with a simple nod as she placed her hand on her weapon. With that, the raven haired boy pushed the door open, revealing a much larger chamber that is bigger than the one they were in.

As usual, the air is filled with the clouds of yellow Dust. Like the first chamber they were in, this humongous chamber also has a second floor which they are currently on. Oddly, for an abandoned tomb, there are torches on the walls that are still lit and old cob-web covered chandeliers holding several burning candles.

"How is it that these torches and candles are lit? Isn't this place abandoned?" Ruby said to her companion.

"It's probably the concentration of Arcane down here that is feeding the fire, keeping it alive." Kazato answered.

"But isn't this lightning Dust?"

"From the looks of it, yeah. Maybe there is a small concentration of fire elements in here." Just then at the corner of her eye, Ruby saw a figure walking in their direction. It appeared to be a few meters away. "Um, Kazato..." She started as she tapped his arm. "Are you sure this place really is abandoned?" She said, pointing at the figure.

"Yeah, there shouldn't be-" He is suddenly interrupted by the pulsating feeling in his stomach, his Grimm is warning him. But warning him about what, the figure? Kazato looked at the figure. With his sharp eyesight, he could see that the figure has on ragged cloak. He couldn't make out who or what it is until his acute sense of hearing picked up a faint sucking sound.

"No..." Kazato's eyes instantly went wide, getting an idea of what this figure might be based on the sound he just heard.

"What's wron-" Before Ruby could ask her question, Kazato grabbed her arm and pulled her in a space in the wall that is big enough for them hide out of sight. "Why are we-"

"Shhh!" Kazato cut her off. "Ruby listen to me." He said in horrified a whisper, fear clearly in his eyes. "Do not. Make. A sound. What we just saw is not a person. In fact, it's one of the two things you don't want to come face-to-face with." With that said, they started to hear the footsteps of the figure as it got closer and closer. As it got closer, both Kazato and Ruby can hear the loud sucking sounds coming from the creature.

Ruby looked over to see Kazato's expressions wincing at the eerie sound. She decided to take a peek around the wall to see what it is thats making Kazato act this way. Upon peeking around the wall, she caught sight of a tall and slinky creature with pale skin. It has on an old dirty ragged cloak that looks like one that a monk would wear. The creature, with it's hood on, turned it's head which allowed Ruby to get a glimpses of it's face.

The creature has, what looks like, tentacles coming out from it's mouth. It's pale colored face has stitches as if it were sown together, giving an unpleasant appearances. Another thing that stuck out about the creature is that it appeared to not having any eyes at all, just dark eye sockets. Ruby's silver eyes widened with horror as she quickly retreated back behind the wall so the creature wouldn't see her.

Both her and Kazato stood in utter silence behind the wall as this creature began to pass, the eerie sucking and slurping sounds getting louder as it got closer to where they are. Ruby looked down to see the shadow of the creature as it is passing, hearing it's pale bare feet patting the cold stone floor. Suddenly, the shadow stopped right between Kazato and Ruby, indicating that it's standing directly in front of the space that they are hiding in.

Ruby's eyes widened even more as she unknowingly held her breath. It's strange, she can't seem to put her figure on why she felt frightened. If you put her in front of a Grimm, she won't flinch in the slightest. So what is it about this _thing_ that has her shaken? Is it the creature's horrific appearance? Or is it the eerie sucking sounds it constantly makes.

Kazato on the other hand, his fear for this creature began to turn into rage as he clinched both of his fists, emitting a black and red mist. He is intending on mangling this thing if it decided to come through the space where he and Ruby are. _'Come over here you brain sucking son of a bitch! I DARE you!'_ He knows about this certain creature's _reputation_.

Eventually, the creature decided to continue onward, the sounds of it's bare feet patting the floor and the sucking sounds began to fade as it got further and further away from them. When they couldn't hear the creature anymore, both Kazato and Ruby simultaneously let out a huge sigh of relief as they sat down in the space, their backs against the wall.

"What...was that?" Ruby asked as she recovered the breath she was unknowingly holding in, trying to calm herself.

"That...was a Brainsucker." Kazato answered her question as he too tried to calm himself down.

"A...Brainsucker?"

"Those damn things are the worst. Come on, let's go before it decides to come back." Kazato said as he started to get up. Just then, they began to hear singing. "What the..." Kazato froze in place as he listened for the singing again. It sounded like a female's voice singing but it sounded inhuman and eerie.

"Is that...singing?" Ruby asked with confusion in her voice as she start to get up as well.

"You gotta be kidding me! There is a fucking Winter Lantern down here too?!" Fear is back on Kazato's face but it is far more than with the Brainsucker. Kazato tried to contain and calm himself, knowing that his Grimm feeds off of negative emotions such as fear.

"What's a Winter Lantern?" Ruby asked as she began to hear footsteps getting closer and closer. Just then, a tall shadow came slowly walking by followed by the sounds of footsteps and the inhumane singing. Kazato immediately tensed up, his eyes widening even more. Ruby looked over to see his terrified expression. Right now, he looks like a terrified little boy hiding in a dark corner, which surprised her considering how he acts when confronted with a Grimm.

Ruby knew that she is going to regret sneaking a peek at this thing, but curiosity got the best of her. Cautiously taking another peek around the corner of the wall, Ruby saw the creature that is passing by. The creature has a tall slender feminine built, wearing some sort of red and black dress. But the one thing that Ruby noticed the most is it's head. The creature's head is literally a giant oversize brain filled with eyes! The moment she saw this her silver eyes instantly become as wide as the moon itself as she placed both hands over her mouth to cover a gasp.

"Don't let it see you!" Kazato said in a terrified whisper. Immediately, Ruby retreated back behind the wall. She couldn't believe what she just saw. It looked like something straight out of her nightmares. She can feel her body trembling uncontrollably and her heart began to race. She doesn't know the capabilities of this creature but it's appearance was just enough the unnerve her. What makes this creature and the Brainsucker different from the Grimm?

Soon enough, the Winter Lantern's footsteps and singing began to fade as it continued to walk onward. When it could no longer be heard, Kazato and Ruby let out another huge sigh of relief. "Come on. Let's find a way out of here." Ruby said as she quickly got up to her feet, not wanting to spend another minute in the dungeon.

"You just read my mind." Kazato said as both he and Ruby peeked out of the space in the wall to see that it is all clear. "Out of all of the dungeons I've been in, I've never seen a Winter Lantern in a single one."

"Kazato, those _things_ , what makes them so dangerous?" The silver-eyed girl asked her companion.

"Well, the name 'Brainsucker' for the first one is self-explanatory. So you can get an idea of why you want to avoid that one." Kazato told her which she tensed up after thinking about the name.

"O-Okay. What about the other one?" Ruby asked which made Kazato frown at the mention of the Winter Lantern. He looked over the stone railing and caught sight of something that made him frown. What he sees is more Winter Lanterns and Brainsuckers on the bottom floor, way too many for his liking. _"_ You gotta be kidding! There is more of them!" He said as he slammed his hands on the railing. He then saw a Brainsucker and a Winter Lantern walking towards each other, about to cross paths. "I think this might answer your question Rub." He pointed to the two creatures.

Ruby walked up to the stone railing to see a Brainsucker and a Winter Lantern standing a few feet away from each other. The Brainsucker looked at the Winter Lantern, seeing it's oversize brain for a head, with the intent to do what it is known to do. It made the first move by readying to cast a paralysis spell with it's right hand. The instant it did, the Winter Lantern let out a loud ear piercing scream as all of it's eyes opened up, creating a bright light. Suddenly, the Brainsucker started to get stabbed through with, what looks like, black spears out of nowhere. The Brainsucker let out a bloodcurdling scream as it fell lifelessly to the floor, but the Winter Lantern wasn't done yet. Stretching out a pair of arm's from it's brain for a head, it grabbed the lifeless Brainsucker and began eating it.

"OH MY-" Before Ruby could finish her outburst, Kazato covered her mouth with his hand. "Now you see why I'm scared to death of that thing. Come on, let's go. For once in my life, I actually want to get out of this Chalice Dungeon." With a nod from the Silver-eyed girl, the two began to proceed onward. That is until Ruby stepped on a panel that triggered a trap. Kazato tensed up when he heard the sound but didn't know what trap she tripped.

"What was that?" Ruby looked around vigorously after she heard the sound of the panel she stepped on echoing throughout the chamber. Soon after, a nearby statue shot a fire arrow directly at Ruby.

"GET DOWN!" Kazato yelled as he tackled Ruby out of the way of the fire arrow. The arrow nearly missed Kazato it burned a hole on the back of his black vest. "That was too close for comfort." Kazato said as he got off of Ruby and helped her up.

"I am so sorry! I didn't even see the trap!" The silver-eyed girl immediately started apologizing.

 _'Damn! This is my favorite hooded vest!'_ Kazato though as he looked back at the huge hole burned into the back of his vest. He then sighed. "Don't sweat it Rub. None of us got-" He is then suddenly cut off by a loud shriek that echoed throughout the chamber. "What?!" Kazato looked around and saw a creature covered with some kind of green cloak, letting out a loud shriek that is alerting the other creatures of their presence.

"Why is it screaming? Is it calling for help?" Ruby asked which Kazato shook his head vigorously. "No, it's radding us out. It's letting the other's know that we're here." Soon after, loud beastly growls and moans can be heard. "Shit! Run! RUN!"

* * *

"So, Elisa right? I see that you like to be close and personal with the Grimm." Yang said to the other blond who gave a cheeky smile and a nod in response. "Yup" Elisa responded, popping the 'p' at the end of the word. "There is nothing like settling things with your bare hands."

Yang grinned and gave a small chuckle to that. "You said it." Yang, Blake, and Elisa are currently walking through the forest with Blake taking point and the two blonds following behind.

"So Yang, was Kazato harassing you yesterday?" Elisa asked Yang about her brother.

"Kazato?" Yang said with a raised eyebrow, not knowing who that is.

"Do you remember talking to a boy in the auditorium yesterday with raven black messy hair, a bandage wrapped around his forehead and a really punchable face? He's my older brother." Elisa asked the brawler which earn her a confused look. "A punchable face? Well, I do remember talking to a guy in the auditorium yesterday. Wait, hes your brother?"

"Uh huh" Elisa replied with a nod.

"So you're the one he was looking for?"

"He was looking for me?" Elisa blinked which Yang rubbed the back of her head. "Yeah, he grabbed my shoulder, mistaking for me for you. More than likely it was the hair that caused it." Yang motioned to their long blond hair.

Elisa snickered, knowing how her brother's action can sometimes get him into sticky situations. _'Serves him right.'_ "So why was he looking for me?"

"He said something about 'Teaching you a lesson.' It's a good thing you didn't show up. Because this girl, who is apparently his sister too, showed up and he uh...hit her."

"Wait! He hit Rize?" At that moment Elisa burst out in a laughing fit, clinching her sides. "Oh this is going to be so fun to watch!" Yang gave the girl another confused look along with Blake, who didn't say a word the entire time, looking at her from the corner of her eye.

"Um. Did I miss something here?" The brawler asked the young martial artist. Elisa swiped the tears from her eyes. "Oh no. See my sister Rize, who is the middle child, always get someone back if they ever do something to her. The thing with my sister is that she doesn't tell you when she'll get you back and she'll pretend that she have forgotten all about it. She treats it like a game."

"Yikes. The mind game trick. I like the way she thinks." Yang said with an amused grin. "By the way, you're friends with Ruby, my little sister. Right?"

Elisa thought harder on the name, trying to remember. "Ruby. Ruby. Oh!" She blurted out as she snapped her fingers. "Wears a red hood, silver eyes, and has an innocent face? Shes your sister?"

"Yup, that's her." Yang gave a confirming nod. "How did you guys meet?" The brawler asked her, wondering if Ruby actually came out of her shell and talked to someone.

"How we met?" Elisa let out a small giggle. "Well long story short, both of us ended up _bumping_ into each other. It happened to turn out that we both were lost and didn't know where to go. So from there things kinda took off. She told me that you ditched her in front of the school."

Yang winced that the mention of that as she rubbed the back of her neck. "Yeah...I did. See, Ruby can be…uh...socially awkward at times. So I figured that if I left her alone, it would force her to come out of her shell."

Elisa raised an eyebrow. "Ah! The ol'sink or swim treatment. You threw her out to the wolves."

"Can't really call it can that." Yang said in defense.

"That's exactly what it sounds like." Blake said bluntly, finally speaking up still keeping her eyes forward.

"Ouch. Twist the knife why do you Blake." Yang said to the fanus but Blake said nothing in return.

"Oh! By the way Blake, I want to thank you for helping Ruby and I out with Princess Snow White yesterday." Elisa thanked Blake, referring to the incident with Weiss.

"Hm" Is the only thing Blake said in response to Elisa's gratitude. Elisa leaned over to Yang. "Shes not much of a talker, is she?" She asked in a low voice.

"Nope" Yang responded, popping the 'p' that the end of the word. There is still something about Blake that stayed on Elisa's mind. The first, most certainly, being her appearance and the second being her personality. It reminds her so much of Lara. "Hey Blake. Forgive me if this is too personal, but do you-"

Before Elisa could ask her question, her acute sense of hearing picked up a faint screeching sound. At the same time, Yang's acute sense of hearing picked it up as well along with Blake's hearing due to her fanus heritage.

"What was that?" Yang asked as she and the other two looked around.

"It sounded like a screech." Elisa replied, trying to listen for the sound again.

"Whatever it is, it's coming our way." Blake said as she placed her hand on the handle of her Gambol Shroud. Soon after, a huge shadow appeared in from above followed the sound of someone yelling. Looking up, they can see a Nevermore flying overhead with Weiss riding on it's back. Or rather hanging on for dear life.

Weiss has her Myrnaster stabbed into the back of the Nevermore, using it to stay on as the Grimm flew around screeching in pain. "You're going to let me down one way or the other!" Weiss yelled at the Grimm as she pulled her Myrnaster out and stabbed the Grimm again, causing it to scream in even more pain.

"Whoa. How did she manage to hitch a ride on that thing?" Yang said as she looked up that the Nevermore.

"We have to get her down." Elisa said to her two companions.

"How? That thing is at least 100 feet in the air." Blake questioned on how they are going to get Weiss down.

"You do have a point there." Elisa said as she put her chin between her index finger and thumb. Her amber eyes scanned the area they are in, trying to use her creativity to come up with a plan. She looked around at the trees around them and then at Blake's Gambol Shroud. "Hey Blake" She called out to the fanus, gaining her attention. "Your weapon can transform into a whip, right?" She asked, remembering the fight against the pack of Beowolves.

"Yeah, what about it?" Blake asked with a curious look.

"We're going to try and make a slingshot." Elisa answered which received her a weird look from Blake. "A slingshot? What are we going to hit it with?"

"Me" Elisa said with a cheeky smile as she pointed to herself with her thumb. "When we make the slingshot, Yang is going to pull me back and let it fly."

"What?! You can't be serious?! What if you miss?!" Blake doesn't seem okay at all with Elisa's plan.

"Trust me, I won't miss. Believe it or not, I actually smacked into a tree when the headmaster threw us into this place, but as you can see, not a single scratch."

"Wait, you flew into a tree?" Blake blinked at the blond.

"I say it's worth the shot." Yang added in. "I know it sounds risky, but what other options do we have?" Blake let a sigh of defeat, knowing that she won't be able to change their minds. "Fine" With that being said, she grabbed the handle of her Gambol Shroud, took it off her back, and transformed it into whip form.

After getting the slingshot set, Yang began pulling Elisa back on the whip. "Don't let go until I give the signal." Elisa told the brawler.

"Got it" Yang replied as she kept the whip in her grip.

 _'Wait for it. Wait for it. Gotta time it nice and perfect.'_ Elisa thought as she waited for the right time to give Yang the signal. An excited grin appeared on her face as adrenalin began to rush through her body.

"Are you sure that you can hit it?" Blake asked the young martial artist who gave her a thumbs up. "Don't worry Lara! I got thi- AHHHHH!" Before she could finish her sentence, Yang had let go of the whip. Thinking that the thumbs up was the signal.

"Wait? That was the signal to let go, right?" The brawler asked the fanus with a wide eyed look.

"Uh..." Blake replied with a wide eyed look of her own. _'Did she just call me Lara?'_

"YANG! THAT WASN'T THE SIGNAL!" Elisa yelled as she flew through the air, trying to recover her equilibrium. She then saw that she and the Nevermore are about to cross paths and they are approaching each other fast. "Oh what the hell." With that said, she began to emit the usual black and red mist as she sped towards the Grimm.

Weiss is still holding on to the handle of her Myrnaster for dear life as the Nevermore continued to fly around with no intention of stopping. "HERE I COME!" Came Elisa's cheerful voice with caught Weiss's attention. "Huh?" The next thing Weiss sees is a blond haired girl come flying through the air and flew right into the side of the Nevermore, causing it to scream from the impact.

Elisa gripped onto the Grimm's back in order to stay on. She looked over to a wide eyed Weiss and gave a cheeky smile. "Hey, hows it going!"

"Wha- Where did you come from?!" Weiss said with shock and surprise clearly in her voice.

"Oh I was just _flying_ by!" The blond responded as she started to climb up the Grimm's back. "Hey Whis! I want you to hold on as tight as you can!"

"It's Weiss!" The heiress corrected her. "What are you going to do!"

"Just do it okay!" Elisa yelled as she got up the Nevermore's neck, both of her hands emitting the usual black and red mist. "Alright Grimmy! I want you to take us down!" With that said, the blond placed both of her hands of the Nevermore's face, trying to use her Grimm to control it. The Nevermore let out a screech as it flew around violently, resisting against Elisa's attempt to possess it. "Stop fighting me you oversize bird! Just let it happen!"

"What the heck are you doing?!" Weiss yelled as she tried her best to hold on as tight as she can. On the ground below, Yang and Blake watched as the Nevermore flew around wildly in the skies above, letting out screeches of pain.

"What do you think shes doing?" Blake asked out of curiosity.

"Whatever shes doing, it sounds like shes hurting it." Yang replied. Eventually, the Nevermore began to move away from two's location, something they do not want. "It's moving away! Come on, we have to follow it!" Yang told her fanus companion who responded with a nod. With that, both of them took off running after the Grimm.

"Phew! That was a close one back there." Ruby let out a huge breath of relief after she and Kazato managed to escape from the chamber filled with Brainsuckers and Winter Lanterns.

* * *

"You said it. I never want to deal with those things all at the same time." Kazato let out a breath of relief of his own as he and Ruby walked down a corridor. "Are you okay Rub? You looked pretty shaken up back there."

Ruby gave him an assuring nod. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just that I've never seen anything like that back there. I'm still wondering how those things manage to shake us up. Both of us have fought Grimm before and they don't frighten us."

"Well, my guess is that since we've encountered the Grimm multiple times in our lives, we'v probably grown use to seeing them. As for the things we just saw back there. They are rarely seen and even if you do see them more often, you still won't get use to them. Trust me, I speak from experience. I've only seen them a few times in my life and I'm still not use to seeing them. It's best that I don't." Kazato told her, the image of the Brainsuckers and Winter Lanterns making him frown.

"Hey Kazato. You said that you were born and raised from a village outside the walls of the kingdoms. What's your village like?" Ruby became curious of where Kazato came from and how does his village manage to survive the Grimm infested environment outside the kingdom's walls.

"Oh my village?" Kazato said with an raised eyebrow. "What brought this up all of a sudden?"

"Nothing, I'm just a bit curious is all. Given the scar on your forehead and the way you go about things, it seems like you've been through quite a bit."

"Really? You can tell just from those two things?" The raven haired boy said as he put his hands at the back of his head. "Alright, I should probably start with my village's name. It's called Dusk Haven or just Dusk. As I say before, it's a Hunter's village. So every single person that lives in the town is a hunter, we're not afraid to tangle with the Grimm. The village is a pretty chill place. Everyone is like one big hunting happy family, we all work together in order to survive. They are also very tough when it comes to training. The village sits within a valley where a fog often rolls in. This along with the valley keeps the village hidden, think of it as our own safety wall."

"Ooo, a village filled with hunters. How often do you guys hunt Grimm? What kind of weapons do you guys have?" Ruby's curiosity began to grow. A hidden village inhabited by people who are not afraid of the Grimm and can live a everyday life in the Grimm infested environments? She never heard of a place like that, people usually try to stay within the walls due to the dangers the outside poses.

Kazato cracked a grin. "Sounds like someone's curiosity is growing." As they continued their conversation, they came to a regular sized door that leads into another room. Kazato then heard the sound of Ruby transforming her weapon. He looked behind him to see her holding her Crescent Rose in scythe form, giving him a nod that she is ready.

 _'Good. Shes learning.'_ The raven haired boy nodded back as well as he pulled out his gun, Evelyn. He placed his hand on the door and slowly pushed it open, revealing a room dimly lit with candles. Kazato walked in first, holding his gun out in front of him. After seeing that the coast is clear, both he and Ruby relaxed. Inside the rooms are artifacts made of gold, gems, and other items of value.

Ruby picked up a golden bracelet-like item decorated with rubies. She looked at the bracelet, seeing her reflection from the gold and rubies. "Wow. It's so pretty."

"Yeah. These are the 'stuff of value' I was telling you about. And it looks like we've hit the jack pot. Damn, if only I had a bag." Kazato sighed. He then look to see Ruby gazing that the golden ruby bracelet with fixation. "Hey, if you want that you can have it." He told the silver-eyed girl.

Ruby looked at him with a blink of surprise. "Are you sure?"

Kazato nodded. "I've raided numerous Chalice Dungeons. These items are not cursed."

"Oh okay." With that said, Ruby put the bracelet in her pocket. As she continued to look around, she came across something _strange_. In front of her is a jar filled with some type of fluid and the figure of something floating inside. "What is that?" Leaning forward to get a closer look, Ruby's eyes widen when she saw what is in the jar. Inside the jar is...an organ?! "AHHHH!" Ruby screamed as she stumbled back and fell on her butt.

"What's wrong?!" Kazato came running to Ruby's aid. Ruby said nothing as she pointed at the jar with eyes filled with shock. Kazato looked to see what she is pointing at and saw the inflicted organ in the jar.

"Oh god. That." He said with a sick look on his face. He has seen stuff like this before and it always made his stomach turn just by looking at it.

"Is that a...human organ?" Ruby asked with shock clearly in her voice.

"I'm not sure if that's human or not." Kazato responded as he helped Ruby up. Aside from the organ in the jar, they also see jars containing strange looking yellow bones, other organs, and...bowls containing blood.

"With that...blood?" Ruby asked with even more shock in her eyes.

 _'Why is it that every damn dungeon have this stuff?'_ Kazato thought in disgust as he tapped Ruby on the shoulder. "Come on. We shouldn't be looking that this stuff." With an agreeing nod from Ruby, the two moved on from the gruesome display. At the very back of the room, they came across a staircase leading downwards, the way being lit by candles. Without a word, the pair headed down the staircase which lead them to a huge double stone door. Two torches on the wall lit up the area, allowing them to see the door.

Seeing the markings on the door, Kazato has an idea what lies beyond it. A way out and possibly something worst than a Brainsucker and a Winter Lantern. _'Please let it just be a way out.'_ Kazato thought as both he and Ruby put their hands on the door and pushed. Upon opening the door, they are greeted with another large chamber. The chamber has no ceiling, allowing large amounts of sunlight to shine in along with a cool breeze. Looking up, they can see the fog and the ruined buildings within it. Lightning Dust still flowed through the air, surging with electricity. In front of them is a large bridge at is being held up by large massive chains. The bridge meets with a large circular stone platform in the middle of the chamber that also connects with another large bridge that leads to an staircase leading upwards.

"Could that be the way out?" Ruby asked her companion.

"There is only one way to find out." Kazato replied as they both started walking across the bridge. Both of their eyes scanning the bottomless chamber as they crossed the bridge. Upon getting to the circular stone platform, a loud shriek rang throughout the chamber, putting the two on guard.

"Please tell me that was a Grimm." Ruby said aloud. Kazato nodded in agreement. "I'm hoping the same thing too." Soon after, the same shriek is heard again but this time from above. Looking up, a unknown giant creature jumped from one of the ruined buildings and landed in front of the pair, causing a violate shake. The pair took a few steps back from shock after this creature fall in front of them.

The creature slowly got up on all fours, revealing it's appearances. It's body is nothing but a skeleton and it has, what looks like, flowing hair on it's body crinkling with electricity. Ruby readied herself with her Crescent Rose. "Do you know what this thing is Kazato?" She asked the boy but didn't get an answer. "Kazato?" She looked over to see a wide eyed look on the boy's face.

"No way. You gotta be shitty me. It's...a Class A. A Darkbeast!"

"A Darkbeast?" Ruby said with a raised eyebrow. The Darkbeast slammed it's claws on the stone platform, letting out a ear piercing shriek into the air as it's entire body surged with electricity.

"AHHHHHH!" Both Kazato and Ruby screamed as they turned tail and hauled ass, the Darkbeast chasing after them.

"Of-fucking-course! Since there is lightning arcane down here, of course there will be a Darkbeast!" Kazato yelled as he and Ruby ran as fast as they could through dungeon with the beast dead on their tail. _'Damn. I may have no choice but to use my Grimm.'_

 _'This thing is catching up to us. I have to do something.'_ Ruby thought as she grabbed Kazato's hand with a tight grip which caused him to give a 'huh?' look. "Hang on!" She told him as she took off with incredible speed, out running the Darkbeast.

"WHOA!" The raven haired boy yelled as Ruby took him for a ride. The Darkbeast saw that it's prey is getting away inch by inch, so in reponse it picked up the pace. "It's still gaining on us!" Ruby yelled as she picked up her speed.

Kazato spotted a crack in the ceiling which light shined through. "Ruby! Try using your speed to run up the walls! I gonna try something with my semblance!" Kazato yelled out to the silver-eyed girl.

"Okay, I'll give it a try!" With that said, Ruby took off up one of the walls of the dungeon, taking Kazato with her. Looking back, Kazato can see that the Darkbeast stopped that the base of the wall, looking up at them. _'Ha! It can't get to us!'_ As if the beast read his thoughts, the Darkbeast dug it's claws into the wall and began to climb up with rapid pace.

 _'This thing is persistent! Grr, Its now or never.'_ With that thought in mind, ash began to appear from Kazato's mouth.

* * *

Back on the surface, Yang and Blake are running through the forest, chasing after the Nevermore that is flying wildly through the air. Coming out of the forest, they found themselves at a large wide area that is in the middle of the forest and within the area is a stone structure with a Roman era design.

"Is this the place we're looking for?" Yang asked as they ran out into the open.

"We'll have to worry about that later." Blake said as they looked up at the flying Grimm.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO IT?!" Came Weiss's shouting voice.

"DON'T WORRY!I HAVE IT UNDER CONTROL!" Came Elisa's shouting voice in response.

"WHATEVER IT IS YOU'RE DOING, IT'S NOT WORKING!"

"How are we going to get them down?" Blake asked the brawler who activated her gauntlets in response. "There is only one way."

"Wait? You're planning on shooting them down?" Blake said wide eyed. "You can't do that, they'll crash!"

"I know, but what other choices do we have? We can't do much of anything from down here. It's best that they come down with a crash landing rather than falling off."

"I see where you're coming from, but there is no guarantee-" Before Blake could finish her sentence, her voice is suddenly drowned out by the sound of a man yelling. Looking up, the two caught a glimpse of Jaune flying overhead and flew into a tree. "OW!"

"Wait, who was that?" Yang asked with a look of confusion, trying to register what just happened. Just then, the sound of a grizzly roar followed by trees falling can be heard from in the distance. Looking towards the direction of the sound, the pair caught sight of a huge Ursa smashing it's way out of the forest.

"Yeehaw!" Came a cheery female voice. The moment the Ursa fell to the ground, Nora Valkyrie jumped off it's back with a somersault. "Aw! It's broken." Nora said in a pouting tone. Lie Ren, feeling disoriented and trying to catch his breath, stepped out from behind the Ursa. "Nora... Don't ever...do that again." He said as he still tried to catch his breath. When he looked up, he realized that Nora is suddenly gone. "Where did she..?"

Nora is standing at the stone structure, observing the twelve chest pieces in front of her. Picking up one of them, she did a victory dance. "I'm queen of the castle! I'm queen of the castle!"

"Nora!" Ren yelled out the energetic girl's name.

"Oh, sorry! Coming Ren!"

Blake looked at the girl with an raised eyebrow. "Did she just ride all the way here on an Ursa?"

"Uh..." Yang has no idea of what the heck is going on. First the incident with the Nevermore, then Jaune comes flying through the air, and now Nora and Ren coming riding in on a Ursa! What the heck is going to happen next?!

Suddenly, the sound of more trees falling down in the distance can be heard. Soon after, a giant snake-like Grimm burst out of the forest, instantly putting Yang and Blake on guard.

"Woohoo! Best ride ever!" Came Rize's cheery voice as the snake passed by.

"What the?!" Yang said with even more confusion. "Shes riding a Grimm too?!" Just then, Lucilia jumped off the Grimm as it is passing, landing in front of the two and almost losing her balance.

"Argh! Cursed Hunter or not, that girl is bloody crazy!" Lucilia said to herself in her British accent. She then notice Blake and Yang looking that her with weird looks. "Oh, it seems that we're not the only ones here."

"Aw man! She got something better!" Came Nora's pouting tone as she watched Rize ride the snake Grimm with joyous laughter. "Hey! Let me have a turn!"

"I don't think thats a wise idea." Ren spoke up as he walked up to the group.

Yang snapped out of her dumbstruck expression as she looked at Lucilia. "Were you just-" Before she could throw her question at the Arcana, Weiss's screaming voice can be heard from above. Looking up, they caught sight of Weiss falling from the Nevermore and she is falling fast.

Jaune, managing to get himself out of the tree leaves and onto a tree branch, caught sight of the falling snow angel. ' _Now is my chance!'_ With that thought in mind, Jaune jumped off the tree branch and caught his snow angel. "Just dropping in?" The blond haired boy said to the Schnee in an attempt to charm her.

"Um..." Is all Weiss said as she looked down, seeing that they're still in the air.

"Oh god." Jaune said as he turned pale, both of them falling to the ground. Being the first to act, Lucilia activated her semblance. She created a glowing dark purplish circle on the position where the pair are going to land. As soon as the pair came in range of the glowing circle, they stopped just before they hit the ground. Suspended in mid-air, and receiving a few raised eyebrows.

"W-What just happened!" Jaune said from shock as he and Weiss slowly touched solid ground.

"That was my semblance, the ability to manipulate the surrounding gravity." Lucilia told the shocked boy.

"Talk about a nice save!" Came Rize's voice as she finally jumped off the snake Grimm and landed next to Blake and Yang. Weiss got up to her feet and brushed herself off. "Thank yo-" The moment she turned and saw Lucilia's face, she instantly frowned. Lucilia did the same in return.

"SETTLE DOWN DAMMIT!" Came Elisa's shouting voice, causing everyone to look up. The Nevermore did a nose dive towards the ground. When it got close enough to the ground, Elisa jumped off and rolled on the ground near the group. "Grr! You damn bird! You're my chicken dinner now!" She growled as she got up to her feet.

"Puppy!" Rize called Elisa by the nickname she doesn't like. In retaliation, Elisa called Rize by her least favorite nickname. "Hedgehog!" The two sisters went for a hug but Nora suddenly pop in between them. "Nora!"

 _'Where the hell did she come from?!'_ Both of the sisters thought as they jumped back.

"Uh guys. That thing is coming back." Jaune warned everyone about the Nevermore that is circling around. Before it could get to the group, the giant snake Grimm that is branded by Rize, lunged into the air and caught the oversize bird with it's fangs as they both flew out into the forest.

"WHAT THE HECK WAS THAT?!" Jaune shouted from what he just saw. Rize looked at Lucilia and gave her a wink, which the Arcana just only sighed. Immediately after that event had occurred, a loud screech can be heard in the forest nearby. Yang let a irritated sigh, knowing that something crazy is going to happen again. Sure enough, Pyhrra Nikkos came running out of the forest with a Death Stalker dead on her tail.

"Pyhrra!" Jaune gasped.

"Did she just run all the way here with a Death Stalker on her tail?" Blake pointed out the obvious of what they are seeing. At this point, Yang couldn't take it anymore. After a series of crazy random events had occurred, she wanted it to stop. Now. "I can't take it anymore!" Yang's anger exploded as fire temporary formed around her and her eyes turned red. Others saw as an out burst of irritation, but Rize, Elisa, and Lucilia saw something else.

 _'Huh? Did I just...'_ Rize thought with a surprised look.

 _'There it is again!'_ Elisa also thought in surprise.

 _'Was that a vibe? And those flames. Could they be...'_ Lucilia began to grow curiosity towards the brawler.

"Can everyone just chill out for two seconds before something crazy happens again!" Yang yelled as she tries to catch her breath. Immediately after her out burst, the ground started to shake. It started to get stronger and more violent.

"You spoke too soon." Ren, Rize, and Lucilia said simultaneously. Suddenly, a huge explosion erupted from the ground, a few feet away from the group. Ruby and Kazato came falling out of the huge dust cloud and continued running when they landed.

"Is it still behind us?!" Ruby asked franticly.

"Just keep running Rub!" Kazato yelled as they ran towards the group.

"Ruby?" Yang said with an raised eyebrow went she saw her sister running from the dust cloud.

"Ruby! Kazato!" Weiss said with signs of relief that they're still alive.

"Hi Yang! Bye Yang!" Ruby said as she ran pass her sister, causing the brawler to give a confused look.

"Kazato, what's going on?" Rize asked her older brother as he ran pass them. "Class A! We got a Class A! Run if you don't wanna die!"

"Class A?" Blake said looked at the sisters with confusion.

 _'A Class A? Here?'_ Lucilia thought with slight surprise. A loud screech is then heard from the huge dust cloud shortly followed with the Darkbeast bursting out of the cloud and into the air.

"Woohoo, A Darkbeast! Let me at it!" Elisa said with sudden energy as she is about to take off after the beast but Rize grabbed her by the collar. "Oh no you don't."

Pyhrra looked up towards the sky while running from the Death Stalker, catching sight of the strangest creature she has ever seen. "What?" The Darkbeast landed on top of the Death Stalker, causing a huge dust cloud. After gaining some distance, Pyhrra turned around to see blue sparks coming from the cloud followed the Death Stalker's hissing. Soon after, the Darkbeast let out a loud screech once again followed by blue sparks flying wildly. When the dust cleared, it revealed a growling Darkbeast standing over a electrified corpse of the Death Stalker.

"What...is that?" Pyhrra said in utter shock at what is in front of her, slowly backing away. The Darkbeast lifted it's electrified claw, ready to swipe the scarlet warrioress.

"Look out!" Ruby yelled as she took off with incredible speed, using her Crescent Rose to boost her forward.

"Ruby no! The electricity!" Kazato shouted.

"Ruby!" Yang yelled as she took off running.

Weiss made a glyphs appear underneath her feet as she readied herself. "Argh! Reckless as usual!" With that being said, her took off in a white flash. Both Rize and Elisa look at each other and gave a nod, using their art of quicken to disappear, so did Lucilia.

Ruby bolted towards the Darkbeast, ready to intercept it's attack. She doesn't know what will happen when their attacks collide. In fact, she didn't even think this through, her body just moved. The only thing on his mind right now is helping Pyhrra. Before she could get there, she felt a hand grab her by her hood and she suddenly vanished into a black mist. Lucilia appeared in a fog between Pyhrra and the Darkbeast. Using her semblance, Lucilia manipulated the surrounding gravity around the Darkbeast's claw, causing it to be anchored to the ground. The Darkbeast let out a shriek as it pulled and yanked, trying the get free. Soon after she brought the beast to halt, Weiss appeared in a white flash and trapped the beast's arm in a wall of ice.

Pyhrra stood awestruck at the skeleton appearance of the struggling Darkbeast. "What kind of creature is that? Is that some type of Grimm?" She then felt a hand on her back which caused her to tense up.

"Whoa there. Relax, I'm not a Grimm." Rize said as she disappeared as well taking Pyhrra with her. Without a word of warning, Lucilia grabbed Weiss's arm, causing the Schnee to gasp. "What are you-" Before she could finish, Lucilia vanished along with the Schnee.

When the six reappeared for the group, Ruby looked around in confusion wondering how she end back here. "Ruby!" Yang yelled as she ran up to her sister and hugged her tight, nearly squeezing the breath out of her. "What were you thinking?!"

"That girl needed our help." Ruby said in defense for her hasty actions.

Weiss let out a sigh. "Fair enough, but that was still reckless."

"Sooo, what are we going to do about that?" Jaune pointed to the struggling Darkbeast.

"Nothing. Our objective is right in front of us." Weiss answered his question which Ruby nodded in agreement. "Shes right. There is no point in fighting it."

Lucilia crossed her arms and closed her eyes. "What you two said is true, but in the case of a Darkbeast things are different."

"What do you mean by that?" Blake asked the Arcana.

"Darkbeasts are known to be relentless." Rize spoke up. "They can be a real pain in the ass if you leave them be."

"Tell me about it. Rub and I ran from the thing and you saw what happened." Kazato added in.

"Which raises the question. Where did it come from?" Lucilia asked the raven haired boy.

"You're an Arcana, right? Well, you might want to tell your family that there is a Loran Dungeon underneath this forest."

"Wait? There is a Chalice Dungeon under us?" Elisa blinked with surprise. Yang gave a weird look. _'Dungeon?'_ She then brought her attention to Ruby. "Is this true Rub?" The silver-eyed girl nodded vigorously. "Yeah, it's like some kind of huge abandon tomb or something. It's filled with Dust that flow through the air and monsters I've never seen before."

"There is Dust underneath us?" Weiss asked with a hint of surprise in her voice.

"More accurately it's Arcane. It hasn't became Dust yet." Kazato told her. Everyone's attention is brought to the sounds of the ice wall cracking as the Darkbeast tries to break free. "Hey guys, we can finish this conversation later. Right now we have to take care of this thing."

"Alright" Yang said as she did a fist pound. "Let's hit with everything we have while its still trapped."

"Whoa, hold on a second there." Kazato stopped her. "You have the right idea but we can't fight it here."

"Why not?" Ren asked him.

"It may be big but its a lot faster and agile than you think. So fighting it in a wide area like this put the odds against us." Kazato told him.

"So our best choice of action is to lure it to an area where it has limited space to move, right?" Pyhrra asked the raven haired boy who nodded. "Exactly."

"Come to think of it. While I was in the air, I did see some ruins that looks like a coliseum of some type in that direction." Elisa pointed. Ruby gave a nod. "Alright everyone, it's now or never." With that said and after grabbing the chest pieces, the group ran in the direction where the coliseum is.

* * *

After running through the forest, the group got to a large ruined coliseum-like structure. A light fog had rolled in and yellow Dust flowing throughout the coliseum, seeping through the ground from the Chalice Dungeon that is underground. The group looked around at the Dust flowing around them.

"Kazato, It's..." Ruby started.

"I know. It has to be coming from the Dungeon underneath us." Kazato said to her. Just then, the group heard the Darkbeast's loud screech as it jumped over the coliseum's ruined walls and landed in front of them.

"Whoa! It got here fast!" Jaune shouted with shock and with a wide eyed look. Blake drew out her Gambol Shroud. "They weren't kidding about it being relentless." The Darkbeast slowly lifted it's right claw, causing an alarming look on Rize's face. "Everyone, scatter!" She yelled. The group scattered just in time to avoid a lunge from the Darkbeast that smashed the ground, creating a dust cloud.

"WHOA!" Jaune yelled in even more shock at how fast the beast is.

"Bring it you bag of bones!" Elisa yelled, shooting quicksilver bullets that the beast in the air with her gunblade. Ren shot some rounds with his weapons as well. Using his acrobatics to jump and run on the ruined pillars of the coliseum, aiming at the beast's face. "Nora, help us distract it!"

"Got it!" Nora replied as she transformed her hammer into it's grenade launcher form. "Open wide!" She said in her usual cheery tone as she shot explosive rounds at the Darkbeast. The beast let out a shriek as the explosive rounds hit it's right side. Using it's quick mobility, the Darkbeast quickly leapt to the side to avoid Nora's range attacks. But when it did it slammed right into a wall, letting out another shriek.

"My-my? Can't be irritatingly agile as you liked, can't you?" Lucilia said to the beast in a taunting tone, standing on the second floor of the coliseum. The Darkbeast sent a swipe at the platinum blond haired girl, destroying part of the second floor as she jumped to a nearby pillar. Pulling out her Evelyn and transforming her Reiterpallasch to where the gun barrel is showing. She began shooting shots from her gun and weapon. The beast chased after Lucilia, knocking down each pillar that she leapt off of.

Jaune tightened the grip on his shield and sword when he saw the Darkbeast heading his way. "It's coming your way! Slow it down!" Lucilia shouted to Jaune as she leapt by on the pillars. "Wait, say what?!" Jaune said with a shocked look as the Darkbeast ran towards him and lunged. "Oh god! Oh god! OH GOD!" He held up his shield and shut his eyes as tight as he could, waiting for the devastating blow. But it never came.

"I'm...not dead?" He asked himself. When he opened his eyes he saw that Pyhrra had blocked the blow with her own shield. She used her aura to protect herself from the electricity. "Pyhrra!" Jaune shouted.

"Jaune, stay back! You don't have full control of your aura yet!" Pyhrra said with a commanding tone as she pushed the claw away and slashed it with her blade, causing the Darkbeast to scream in pain.

"What about you?!" Jaune question.

"I'll be fine! Just say back!" She told him as she brought her attention back to the beast just in time to ready herself from another incoming attack. In a flash of red and roses, Rize and Ruby appeared with incredible speed. Attacking the Darkbeast's face with criss-crossing attacks.

"Not having the time of your undead life, aren't ya skeletor?" Rize taunted the skeleton beast. Yang came running in, shooting shots from her Amber Celica. The shoots exploded as they hit the beast from behind. In retaliation, the beast turned around with a quick swipe that hit Yang dead on causing her to fly through a pillar and roll on the ground.

"That son of a bitch!" Kazato growled as he took off running to where the beast is. Pyhrra and Jaune gasped after seeing what happened to the brawler. "Aw shit!" Rize swore as she got ready to sacrifice her blood to her Chikage but Ruby stopped her. "Shes fine. She gains energy from anything that hits her. But you don't want to be in her way when she does."

Rize raised an eyebrow. "Don't want to be in her way? What do you mea-" Just then, she felt that vibe coming from Yang again. ' _What?!'_

"There it is again!" Lucilia said to herself as she watched from a nearby pillar. Yang slowly rose to her feet. Her hair started to glow and her eyes turned red. "Now. I'm. PISSED!" She let out a shout as flames burst around her. Lucilia let out a gasp of shock and surprise. "Those flames! They're..." Yang let out a shout of anger as she ran straight toward the Darkbeast. The beast lunged with another fast swipe but this time Yang stopped it cold, fire still burning around her.

"Those are...The Flames of Corruption! Our trademark!" Lucilia said with a wide-eyed look. "This along with the vibe. No doubt about it, shes one of us. Shes...a Vileblood!"

Clinching her right fist tightly, Yang delivered a powerful blow straight the beast's face. The Darkbeast let out a painful scream as Yang's anger filled punch knocked it off balance which caused it's electricity to stop flowing.

"Impressive..." Lucilia said with surprise. But then her eyes began to see something else about the brawler. _'Hold on. Is that...'_ Seeing that the beast is knocked down, Elisa moved in for the attack. "Now! Hit while its down!" She yelled as she moved in with Blake, Ren, Weiss, and Nora.

The Darkbeast let out another screech at Yang as it got back up. "What?! You want some more?!" The enraged brawler shouted that the beast. Just then, Kazato dropped in between the two, wielding his Burial Blade. "Wow. You took that hit head on and got right back up like a champ. You have my respect." He complimented Yang as he use his semblance, creating a cloud of burning ash that came out of his mouth, clouding the beast's vision. "Come on, let's get some distance." Kazato told her as they ran from the ash cloud.

"Whats with the cloud? A distraction?" Yang asked about the ash cloud he created. Kazato grinned. "Just watch." With that said, he snapped his fingers causing the ash cloud to ignite into an explosion, followed by the beast's screams.

"Did he do it?" Blake asked to no one in particular as she and Ren stood on top of two pillars. Without warning, the Darkbeast lunge out of the smoke and towards the two. Blake backflipped off the pillar she was on to avoid the attack, shooting a few rounds with her gun. Ren jumped into the air landed of the Darkbeast's left arm, shooting at it's face. The beast tried to swipe him off with it's other claw but Ren dodged by cartwheeling over the claw, sent a slash across it's skeleton face and shot some more rounds.

Elisa joined in as well with a few attack with Cerberus in blade form along with Weiss who used Dust with her attacks. Blake ran up a nearby pillar, focusing her aura to her feet. Seeing that she is high enough, she backflipped off the pillar and struck the beast in the face with her whip. She landed on the Darkbeast's back and began slashing at it's spine with her blade as she ran off it and landed next to Elisa. "It's bones are a lot tougher than I thought."

"Tell me about it. Its tough enough to take a few hits from my Cerberus's high-frequency blade. What up with that?" Elisa replied with a hint of irritation. She had forgotten how annoying the hunters say that Darkbeasts are. No wonder it's considered an Class A. Seeing that it's transgressor have ceased their attack, the beast started to charge up blue sparks around it's body.

"It's trying to charge back up!" Elisa gasped. Soon after she said, the Darkbeast let out a screech as electricity return to it's body, but this time it increased the voltage. It then began to charge up a lightning strike from it's mouth and it's aiming that the Fanus and the blond. Both of them gasped when they saw this.

"I'm gonna regret this! I'm gonna regret this! I'm gonna regret this!" Jaune repeatedly said to himself as he ran and jumped from a nearby platform with his sword. He let a girlishly war cry as he came down and stabbed the Darkbeast in the head. The beast let out a shriek as it threw Jaune off with a violate shake and fired the lightning strike but missed its intended target. Instead, it hit Nora.

"Oh no!" Elisa gasped as she is about to go assist Nora but Ren stopped her. "Shes fine. Just watch." Soon enough, Nora rose back on her feet, body coursing with electricity. "Ohhh. You shouldn't have done that." Nora said with smirk as she took off running towards the beast with incredible speed. She appeared in front of the Darkbeast with her hammer ready. "And...SMASH!" She hit the beast, releasing all the power she has stored. The Darkbeast slammed into the wall of the coliseum, it's electricity cease to flow temporary.

"Damn. Talk about a killer hit." Rize said impressed.

"Guys! This is getting us nowhere! We have to think of a plan!" Ruby shouted out.

"Shes right! Let's find a place to hide!" Kazato also yelled out. Soon after those words were spoken. The Darkbeast quickly recovered and charged up again. ' _It's back on it's feet already?! Dammit! It must be drawing power from the lightning arcane in the coliseum.'_ Elisa thought as she watched everyone run towards the inside of the Coliseum. _'I may have to use my semblance to slow it down. But I can't use the lightning Dust in the area against it or else it'll just make it stronger.'_

Weiss tugged on Elisa's sleeve, snapping her out of her thoughts. "Why are you just standing there?! We have to go!"

 _'Weiss! Bingo!'_ "Hey do you still have some Dust on you?" Elisa asked the Heiress, receiving a weird look. "Yeah, why?"

"I need some to slow it down. If you have fire or ice Dust that will do."

"Uh, okay?" With that said, Weiss gave Elisa two small bottles containing fire and ice Dust. "Thanks" The blond said with a smile before using her art of quickening to vanish.

Elisa reappeared just several feet away from the Darkbeast, holding the bottles of Dust in her hands. "Okay, here goes." With that said, she spread the fire Dust out in front of her. Holding out her right hand she concentrated on the Dust, transforming it into a red spear made of crystals. Without a second thought, she threw the crystal at the beast as it is running at her. The crystal struck the beast in the face immediately followed by an explosion, stopping the beast in it's tracks. Using the ice Dust, she created a wall of blue crystals, separating the group from the Darkbeast.

"How did she do that?" Ruby asked with a look of surprise, seeing the crystal wall.

"That my friend is her semblance. She is able to to turn Dust into crystals." Rize told her. Soon after Elisa show up at the group's hiding spot in the coliseum. "Okay guys, I bought us some time. I don't think that wall is going to hold very long, so we need to think of a plan fast." She motioned to the crystal holding back with the screeching Darkbeast on the other side, hitting it with it's claws.

"Anyone have any ideas?" Yang asked the group.

"What can we do?!" Jaune questioned. "We're fighting a thing that is literally a skeleton! I don't think there is a way to kill it!"

"Just because it doesn't have flesh and blood doesn't mean it can't die." Lucilia told the frantic blond. "Remember, bones can break. Given enough force."

"So basically smash it to pieces. That sounds easy." Nora added in.

"But how can we do that? We saw how quick and agile it is, not to mention it's durability." Ren simply pointed out. "I do recall it becoming weak and vulnerable once knocked off balance. Thus, temporarily losing it's electricity. Maybe we can somehow use that to our advantage." Pyhrra mentioned when Yang and Nora knock the hell out of the Darkbeast. Kazato nodded in agreement. "Yeah. It's nothing without it's little sparky light show. We're gonna need some heavy hitters to do that."

"You think you're up for it Yang?" Ruby asked her sister who just scratched the back of her head. "Well about that. If I'm gonna do what I did earlier, then I would have to get hit again. And let me tell you, it doesn't feel good." Yang told her. Hinting the her semblance doesn't make her invincible.

"How much power do you have left?" The silver-eyed girl asked her.

"Eh, not that much."

"Then I'll lend you a hand." Elisa spoke up. "I'm quite the heavy hitter myself."

"Are you sure?" The brawler asked her, which Elisa nodded. "I have a ace up my sleeve." She said as she looked to her siblings and winked.

"Then you guys can leave the finishing blow to me!" Nora pointed to her with her thumb.

"But wouldn't you have to get hit too?" Blake questioned. Nora shook her head. "Nope. Just give my some electricity and I'm good to go."

"Oh! I can help you with that!" Elisa blurted out, holding up her right arm surging with electricity. Jaune jumped a little. " Whoa! H-How are you doing that?"

"Oh this? You never heard of arcane magic?" Elisa said with a raised eye.

"Arcane mag-"

"Thats a conversation for another time." Rize cut Jaune off. "So, once my little sis gives battery girl a jump start. She and the other chick are going to knock that things lights out for the third time."

"Right. And then she'll come in and finish it off." Jaune added in, pointing towards Nora.

"But we still have to come up with a way to keep it from moving." Weiss pointed out.

"I'll contribute to that." Lucilia spoke up. "Once those two stop it, I'll use my semblance to try and keep it in place. That should provide enough time for the finishing blow."

"Alright, it sounds like we have a plan."Kazato said which Ruby nodded. "Okay guys. Let's do this."

After Elisa gave Nora an electrical charge, the group broke up into groups of four. Ruby, Weiss, Blake, and Yang forming one group. Jaune, Nora, Pyhrra, and Ren forming the second. Kazato, Rize, Elisa, and Lucilia forming the last. "Are you guys ready?" Kazato asked his siblings and Lucilia who are currently standing on top of a platform. His body began to emit the usual black and red mist along with his eyes turning black and red as well.

Rize let out an excited giggle. She too began to emit the mist, her eyes changing color and her teeth becoming fangs. "Oh yeah. Its about time we show this thing what we can really do." With that said, she drew out her Chikage just a bit so the red blade is visible. She cut her thumb on the blade as she said the usual phase to the blade. "My sword..." Elisa giggled to herself as she linked with her Grimm, cracking her knuckles with a grin. Lucilia looked that the three siblings. _'They're using their Grimm. I can see it.'_ She thought as she cut her finger. "With blood of scarlet red, ripped from a body of freshly dead. Together with our Vileblood might. We'll burn you all, that is your plight." She said to herself as her eyes turned red at the sight of blood.

The crystal wall that Elisa created began to crack from the Darkbeast's relentless attacks until eventually the wall shattered. "Alright everyone! Now!" Ruby yelled as she and her group ran in along with Jaune and his group, except for Nora who stayed back. "Fuck'em up guys." Kazato said as he and his group leapt off the platform. The Darkbeast bolted at the group with a usual swipe.

Yang, with her eyes red, ran ahead of everyone and ready to stop the swipe. Elisa dropped down and ran beside her, her arms covered in a black second skin with glowing red crack-like lines that look akin to lava. Which Yang didn't notice since she is focused of the beast. The two stopped the beast's incoming attack cold and delivered a punch strong enough to knock it off balance and losing it's blue sparks once again.

As usual, the Darkbeast tried the quickly back away so it can charge. But when it tried, both Elisa and Yang grabbed hold of it's right claw, preventing it from running.

"Don't run!"

"Where do you think you're going?"

Both of the blonds taunted the beast with excited grins on their faces. The beast lifted it's other claw to try and crash them. When it tried, Ruby and Kazato appeared in a blink of an eye and knocked it back with their scythes. Soon after, Rize appeared in a red flash, cutting off it's arm. Her sword glowing with scarlet hue. "Thanks guys!" Yang thanked the three. Lucilia then appeared in front of the beast, using her semblance to anchor it down with gravity.

In a flash, Ruby appeared next to Nora. "Are you ready?" Nora gave her a determined look and a nod. "Yeah! Ready!"

The silver-eyed girl nodded. "Guys! Get away! Get away!" With those words, Ruby grabbed Nora and used her semblance to take off with incredible speed. The silver-eyed girl then let go of Nora, letting her flying towards the pinned down beast. Nora spun around with her hammer. "And...LIGHTS OUT!" She hit the beast which her hammer, releasing all of the energy she has stored up. The impact made all of the Darkbeast's bones crack and shatter to pieces.

Jaune fell to his knees, trying to catch his breath. "We're...we're still alive." Elisa and Nora let out cheers of victory as they gave each other high fives. "Yang, we did it!" Ruby hugged her sister.

 _'Just barely.'_ The brawler thought as she hugged her back.

"I say we've rattled it's bones." Rize said to her brother and Blake as she sheath her Chikage. Kazato transformed his Burial Blade back into curved sword form and put it that his side. "By some miracle." He let out a sigh of relief. "Come on. Let's get out of here before something crazy happens aga-" Before he could finish his sentence. Both Rize and Blake put their hand over his mouth, receiving a weird and confused look from the raven haired boy.

"Don't be the second one to jinx us." Blake simple said as she walked off.

* * *

In the auditorium of Beacon academy, the group of twelve stood on stage in front of a huge crowd of cheering onlookers, sending large amounts of praise to the students. Ozpin had just assigned the members of Team CRDL and has now moved on the Jaune's group.

"Jaune Arc. Nora Valkyrie. Pyhrra Nikkos. Lie Ren. From this point on, you are known as Team JNPR. You are led by Jaune Arc." Ozpin told the four, with instantly made Jaune's eye widen. "W-What? Me? There is a mistake, right?"

"Congratulations young man. Lead your team well." Ozpin congratulated him before moving on to Ruby's group. "Ruby Rose. Weiss Schnee. Blake Belladonna. Yang Xiao Long. From this point on, you are known as Team RWBY. You are led by Ruby Rose."

"What?!" Both Ruby and Weiss said simultaneously. Yang caught her shocked sister in a bear hug. "I'm so proud of you!"

"Congratulations Miss Rose. Lead them well." Ozpin told the girl before moving on.

"Wait a minute." Elisa said to her group. "Their team is named RWBY and they're lead by...Ruby? Is...this some weird form of a joke?" Her group just shrugged their shoulders.

"But...but..." Ruby started but Ozpin is already assembling the last team. "Kazato Cainhurst. Rize Cainhurst. Elisa Cainhurst. Lucilia Arcana. From this point on, you are known as Team KREL. You are led by Kazato Cainhurst."

"Kazato say what?" Kazato said, also hit with shock.

"Congratulations Mr. Cainhurst. Lead them well." Ozpin said as he turned to the crowd. "Here are your first year teams of Beacon academy."

"Wait, hold on professor!" Kazato called out to Ozpin. Rize gave her brother a playful punch on the shoulder. "Congrats bro. Looks you are officially our babysitter. It's not like we had enough of that outside of the wall." She said with a hint of sarcasm on the last part.

"Oh I'm gonna give you so much hell!" Elisa said in her usual cheery voice as she hugged her brother.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean puppy?! Anyway, Me? A leader? I'm not sure if I'm cut out for this!" Just then, Lucilia walked up to her new leader and held out her Reiterpallasch in front of him. "My abilities, knowledge, and skills are at your disposal. Don't hesitate to call upon me." She said with a sense of loyalty in her voice.

"Uh, t-thanks?" Kazato said with a confused look, not knowing how to answer that.

* * *

After the ceremony, the teams went to their rooms. Upon entering the room Team KREL noticed that it is a fairly decent size room suited for four people. "I call the bed by the window!" Elisa said as she ran and jump on one of the beds. "Ah, its sooo soft."

Kazato looked around and noticed something. They are one bed short. "Hey, there are only three beds." he told his team. The girls looked and noticed it as well.

"Hm. They must have a shortage of beds." Lucilia said as she sat in a chair.

"Can we call someone to bring us another bed?" Elisa asked while sitting on her bed. Kazato shrugged his arms. "Go ahead and try. If they don't have a one, then I don't mind sleeping in a hammock."

"Did you say a hammock?" Lucilia said with a raised eyebrow. Kazato gave her a confirming nod. "I rather let you girls have the beds instead of sleeping on the floor. Besides, a hammock is a lot more comfortable to me than a bed."

"I see. Quite the gentlemen." Lucilia said as she took off her hunter's hat and sat it on the table next to her.

Rize chuckled as she lightly elbowed her brother. "Yeah. He always had a soft spot for females." Kazato gave his sister a look. "Its called a sense of generosity."

"Hey Lucilia." Elisa called out to the platinum blond haired girl, gaining her attention. "You're an Arcana, right? Then that means you know who Claire Victoria Arcana, right?"

"Oh, Claire? Yes, shes my oldest sister." Lucilia nodded, gaining looks from the siblings. "Wait? Cherry Rose is your sister?! Then that would mean Trish and Jacob are also your..." Rize said wide eyed. The sound of her sister's hated nickname made Lucilia chuckled a little. "I won't tell her that you said that Rize. But yes, Trish and Jacob are also my sister and brother. I'm the youngest of the siblings."

"Oh yeah? Just like me." Elisa told her.

"Which brings the question. How old are you three? You do know that the common age of a first year student at Beacon academy is seventeen years of age." Lucilia said to the siblings.

"I'm sixteen." Elisa told her age.

"Eighteen" Rize told her's.

Kazato began scratching the side of his neck as he look away. "Nineteen"

"Wow." Lucilia said wide eyed. "You guys are all over the place. Well, luckily Beacon is not a regular school. So I guess there is your pass."

"Pass huh?" Rize rolled her eyes at that remark. "By the way, your eyes, why do they glow like that?" She mentioned Lucilia's seemingly glowing purple eyes.

"Yeah, I was wondering that too. We tried asking Claire but she kept saying that she'll tell us later." Elisa added in. "Oh my eyes?" Lucilia raised an eyebrow. "Well in short, this is a hereditary trait, a result from my family experimenting with arcane. Our eyes are infused with arcane magic. It allows us to see things at others can't. For example, the presence of a Grimm within a person. We can see the mist." She then looked at the siblings. "Right now. I can see the mist of Grimm on the three of you, but since you three are Cursed Hunters the level its on is not a threat to you. But for a normal person..."

"They'll risk transforming..." Rize finished for her. Which Lucilia nodded. "With this _gift_ , we can see when someone is on the verge of turning. There have been times were members of my family found their contracts on the verge of turning into a Grimm. With that said, this helps with our hunting and assassination lifestyle since the two intend to intersect."

"Wow." Elisa said with amazement. "The Arcanas have always been so cool."

"Another question. What is this beef between your family and the Schnees? I remember Claire saying that you guys are at _war_ with them." Kazato asked her.

"Yeah, when she said that I thought she meant by a power struggle since both families have power and influence in Remnant." Elisa added in.

Lucilia let out a sigh as she crossed her arms and legs. "Actually, it runs a lot deeper than that. It dates all the way back to our ancestors. Perhaps I should begin telling about my family. My family, we are descendants of a race known as Vilebloods."

"Vilebloods? What are those?" Rize asked the Arcana which received her a weird look. "What? You haven't heard of the Vilebloods?"

"We don't know what a Vileblood is." Kazato said with a confused look. Lucilia is taken aback by this. "Okay, answer these two questions. When one of you is nearby, do you start to feel a sensation, like a vibe?" The siblings nod their heads. "When you see the sight of blood or get into a dire situation. Do you start to feel a sudden rush of adrenalin and energy?" The siblings nod their heads again. "Has your parents ever told you aything about your heritage?"

"Nope. Never really had that talk with our mom." Elisa answered.

"What is your mother's name if you don't mind me asking?"

"Her name is Scarlet. Why?" Rize asked with a raised eyebrow. Lucilia's eye instantly went wide. "Is her full name Scarlet Akeldama Cainhurst?" The sibling nodded once again. This caused Lucilia's mouth to drop wide open. "You mean to tell me that you are the children of one of the bloody queens and you don't know your Vileblood heritage!" Lucilia exclaimed causing the siblings to jump.

"Wait? Our mom is a queen?" Rize said with even more confusion.

"You know, yelling is not going to help us absorb this." Kazato said as he held his hands up in defense. Lucilia let out a breath. "You're right. My apologies. Okay, I'll start from the very beginning of our bloodline. Surely the hunters told you about The Healing Church that was once based in Yharnam and their blood ministration, correct?" She received a nod as a response. "Well in short, someone betrayed the church and stole some of the Old Blood that they had. This individual brought the stolen Old Blood to Cainhurst castle, our origin. There Queen Annalise, the first Vileblood, the first pure-blood, was born. Pure-bloods are said to have many gifts. Immortality is said to be one of them, so to speak. Queen Annalise was, or should I say still is, a living example of that."

"Wait, shes still alive?" Rize asked with a raised eyebrow.

"From what I've heard about her being undying, she probably is. Under her rule were half-bloods, individuals that are part human/Fanus and Vileblood. They first came about by drinking the Queen's blood. Then they bred to swell their ranks, meaning more and more half-bloods were born. The thing about half-bloods is that they are part Vileblood, not full. So they don't have the gift of immortality and they're not as strong as a pure-blood. Queen Annalise saw this and demanded a very gruesome order."

Kazato swallowed. He knew he is going to regret asking this. "What was that?"

Lucilia took a deep breath before continuing. The atmosphere starting to get uncomfortable. "She demanded...that her knights will kill innocent people and sacrifice their blood to her so she can...consume it."

"EW!" Elisa shouted with utter disgust. Rize started gagging and Kazato looked like he is going to throw up. Lucilia herself felt a bit queasy by the mention of it. "She did that why?" Elisa asked. In truth, she didn't want to hear anymore. But the fact that her mom is a queen somehow and it has something to do with the vibes and other stuff they can't explain, then she have to know more.

"To give birth to a Child of Blood, another pure-blood. A King or Queen that would take her place on the throne if she were to die somehow. Our ancestor's actions infuriated the church, they saw them as inhumane fiends. So the church summoned their group of _enforcers_. The Executioners. These individuals were given the task to hunt our people to extinction, and they almost did it. They found Cainhurst castle and a mass slaughter of both Vileblood and Executioner took place. Every last Vileblood was killed, except for the queen. The Executioners loss a great deal of people including their leader. But it turns out that not all of our people were slaughtered." She continued on. "Half-bloods like my ancestor, Maria Louise Arcana or also known as Lady Maria, weren't present at the mass slaughter."

"Thats right." Rize spoke up after getting over her gagging fit. "I do remember Claire telling us about her. Come to think of it. You kinda look like her Lucilia."

Lucilia chuckled. "I get that a lot from family members. Some started calling me Little Maria despite that I'm nothing like my ancestor. Now on topic about the Schnees. Before Dust, there was blood. The Healing Church was said to have been founded by a man named Laurence Schnee. Like how the Schnees Dust Company controls all matter of Dust. The Healing Church controlled all matter of blood. Like Dust, blood gave power. Over the years, much after Laurence's passing, the blood have been seen as too dangerous for use, so people began to leave The Healing Church in search of their own source of power. Most of them were Schnees, descendants of the church's founder. Eventually, those Schnees found..."

"Dust" Kazato spoke up. Lucilia nodded. "Thats correct. Now I want you to bear in mind that the Schnees that left the church were also Executioners, so they took their beliefs with them. Now, you asked me what the _beef_ between my family and the Schnees is. Well I pretty much gave you a history lesson on the matter along with your heritage."

"The Arcanas are the Vilebloods and the Schnees are..." Rize started.

"The Executioners..." Kazato finished for her. Lucilia nodded once again. "The Vilebloods began repopulating in secrecy. More pure-bloods and half-bloods were being born. Half-bloods are born more frequently than pure-bloods because..."

"A queen needs to consume blood to have a Child of Blood." Elisa spoke up, letting all that she learned sink in. "So our mom is...a pure-blood. A queen. Rize. Kazato. What about us? Do you think she..."

"No Elisa. We had fathers remember? That would make us half-bloods." Rize told her sister. Elisa's expressions turned grim from the mention of her father. "Oh...right." Lucilia heard when Rize said that they _had_ fathers. She frowned. "I'm...sorry for your losses."

Kazato waved it off. "There is nothing to be sorry for. Sooo, I'm guessing there is bloodshed between the families, right?"

"Sadly yes and its been going on for too long. I can't do anything about it now, but one of these day I'm going to end the bloodshed and show the Schnees that we're not the same as our ancestors."

"Geez I hope so. Our first ancestor was- I mean IS fucked up." Elisa said about the actions Annalise made in the past.

"I can't blame you for thinking that way Elisa. My family too frowned upon the reputation created by our ancestors. But it is because of those actions that we are born, that we can't change."

"You know what they say, no use crying over spilled milk. What's done is done, right?" Rize said as she pick her bag up and tossed it onto her bed. "I'm going out for some fresh air. Anyone want to join?"

"Me!" Elisa said as she got up from her bed and stretched. "I could use a nice walk and a sparring match right about now."

Rize raised an eyebrow. "You seem to be handling this well."

"Hey, what our ancestors did was pretty fucked up. But on the bright side, our mom is a actual queen and we're related to the freaking Arcana family! How cool is that!" The energetic blond said in her usual cheery tone.

Kazato chuckled as he shook his head. "You know, I think I'll join you guys on that sparring match."

"Oh yeah, big brother." Rize said as she went up to Kazato who has a raised eyebrow, she doesn't usually call him that. "What is it sis- ARGH!" Before he could ask his question, Rize pulled him close and kneed him right in the nuts. Kazato fell to his knees while holding himself and fell to the floor.

"Thats for punching me in the head yesterday. Come on little sis." Rize said as she and Elisa walked out of the room.

"My. You three certainly are coping with this well." Lucilia snickered as she got up from the chair.

Lucilia...can you...help me?" Kazato said in a high pitch voice.

"What kind of help is it that you want?"

"I don't know...just...help me!

Lucilia chuckled. "You know what they say Kazato. What comes around, goes around. As Jacob would say, 'Tough it out lad.'" With that, she walked out of the room, leaving the boy alone with the possibility of having one nut.

* * *

 **AN: Thanks for reading everyone. Hope you enjoyed it. Please FAV and Follow. This Chronicles, calling it a wrap.**


	8. Unresolved problems, Lurking danger

**AN: Hey everyone, I'm back with another chapter. I know this might be too early to announce this, but I'm planning on writing a sequel to this story. Originally, I was going to end the story in a cliffhanger but I changed my mind. The ideas for the sequel are still fresh in my mind. But lately I've been wondering if the story would end in a success. Sometimes I fear that the story might not meet expectations of my audience or it'll take a turn that might kill the mood for you guys. See, when I write the story I want to treat it like a Lore. I want it to feel as if the worlds of RWBY and Bloodborne have merged into one. That Bloodbrone has evolved into what is now known as RWBY. But I guess we'll see how things go as the story progress.**

 **Anyway, please enjoy.**

* * *

Lara Belladonna founded herself standing in the middle of a wide space that is very unfamiliar to her. The space she is standing in is completely pitch black, no speck of light anywhere. "Where...am I?" She asked herself as she looked around. She looked down and noticed that she is wearing a certain uniform. An old uniform that she remembers all too well from her past. The uniform of the White Fang.

"Why am I...?" She started to ask herself as she looked at the black leather gloves of the uniform. Just then, three Beowolves appeared a few feet away from her. Two of them are of full grown size and the third is about the size of a small child. Lara reached from her Bowblade on her right side but felt nothing. She looked and saw that both her Bowblade and chain & sickle are gone. The two larger Beowolves lunged at the fanus with a roar, regaining her attention.

Without a second thought, Lara emitted her Grimm mist from both of her hands and jabbed them into the chests of the Beowolves. Visceral attacking the both of them, slamming them to the ground. The Grimm's bodies began to fade away in a black and red mist along with the surrounding darkness. "What?" Lara looked around vigorously as the darkness around her continued to fade, revealing a town set ablaze with flames. The sounds of the building's foundation burning in the inferno filled the air as smoke and ambers rise into the night sky.

Looking back towards the dead Beowolves, Lara sees that there is a man and woman lying in their place as the Grimm mist faded, their bodies lying in a pool of blood. In the middle of the two is a small child, a little boy on his hands and knees in the pool of his parent's blood, looking at the fanus with bulging eyes filled with tears and utter fear. Lara gasped upon seeing this. She tried reaching out to the boy, but when she did she noticed that her hands are covered in blood and that she is holding a knife in her right hand.

"Do it. Do it. Do it. Do it!" Voices repeatedly chanted in her head to kill the child. "No!" Lara yelled as she shook her head.

"You know you want to. You hate them, don't you? How they treated your kind." These disembodied voices continued to pry at the fanus, but she still wouldn't do it. By that time, a young man appeared next to her. He has on the White Fang uniform, red hair, and a mask that only covers his eyes. It's a young Adam Taurus, age seventeen. He held a sword on his right hand but it's not the red blade he currently has.

"Why are you just standing there? We're were given new orders. No survivors." Adam said in a tone that has no emotion.

"This is wrong! This is not what we originally came here for! We can't set an example by slaughtering innocent people!" Lara argued.

"Tch. You've always been weak." Adam said coldly as he walked up to the little boy, rising his blade.

"NO!" Lara yelled as she tried to tackle Adam but she ended up passing right through him. Adam swipe his blade, the tip swiftly slitting the little boy's throat in front of a shocked Lara. She caught the boy as he fell back into her arms, his blank lifeless eye looking up towards the sky. The light of the building town began to fade as the surrounding darkness returned. The lifeless little boy vanished from Lara's arms.

"For you to have sympathy and compassion for the humans, you must've forgotten how they've treated us." Adam said with his back turned to her. Lara rose to her feet, glaring at the merciless fanus. "How they treat us is wrong, but it doesn't put us in the right to just start killing innocent people just because they're human! It's discrimination!"

Adam let out a chuckle. "This coming from someone who says that they'll do what it takes to survive in this world."

"Thats right. But there are some actions that just won't solve anything!" Lara argued.

"So leaving the White Fang and everything else behind was the solution to your problem?"

"Wha..." Lara then feels someone tug on her uniform. Looking down, she sees a young Blake Belladonna, age eleven. "Blake?" Lara gasped with a wide-eyed expression.

"Why did you leave? Why did you leave me behind?" The young Blake asked Lara as she looked up at her. Eyes desperately wanting an answer.

"Blake...sweetie." Lara sat on her heels as she got to eye level with the little fanus girl, placing her hands on her shoulders. "I...just..." Lara couldn't find the words within herself to answer the little girl's question.

"You just what?!" Blake yelled at her. "You ran and left me behind! Do you have any idea how hard it was for me?! Having to fend for myself?!"

"Yes, I know. I made a mistake, one that I probably can't fix. I wasn't thinking clearly." Lara told the little fanus. "But I-"

"Why haven't you come back?" Blake cut her off. "You seem to have yourself together now. So why haven't you come back yet? Are you scared of me?"

"No, that's not it!" Lara said in defense. "I want to come back to you, I really do! I'm trying, but it's hard for-"

"FOR SIX YEARS?! YOU'VE BEEN TRYING FOR SIX YEARS?! WHATS SO DAMN HARD ABOUT COMING BACK TO YOUR OWN DAUGTHER?!" Blake yelled in fury, which made Lara flinch. "Blake, please. A lot has happened to me in such a short time and I..."

"...Want a do-over." Blake put her own words in her mother's sentence, causing her to blink.

"What did you...?"

"I know the reason why you left. You wanted a do-over. My birth was too much of a burden for you. That's why you ran off and joined a band of killers!" Blake yelled, referring to the Hunters as killers.

"That's not true!" Lara yelled back.

"I know every thought that goes through your head. 'If I could do things over. I would've waited and done things differently.' Those were your thoughts when you first laid eyes on me."

"That's not what I meant! I meant being able to provide a better life for you when you WERE born!"

"No you didn't. You meant for a life without me." Blake then broke eye contact and looked at Lara's clothes. "Look at yourself. You even dress like a killer."

"Wha..." Lara looked down and sees that she is no longer wearing her old White Fang uniform but her Black Winged Hunter outfit. Her Grimm mist emitting from her body.

"I hope you got what you wanted." The little fanus said as she moved away from Lara and turned her back to her. "Because in my eyes, you're not my mother. You're a Grimm." With that said, she grabbed Adam's hand as they both started walking away.

"Wait!" Lara shouted as she tried to run after them. When she tried, something grabbed her leg. Looking back, she sees a claw of black and red mist grabbing hold to her. More claws came out of the darkness along with the shadowy apparitions of Grimm that came for her, trying to drag her into the abyss. Lara fought against the darkness as claws grabbed hold of her body, pulling her in.

"Blake! Please! Don't go! I'm sorry!" Lara plead and begged as she reached out for her daughter who continued to walk further and further away. "I can't lose you! You're all I have!" Soon enough, the Grimm apparitions pulled Lara in, the darkness swallowing her whole.

Lara woke up in a cold sweat, panting heavily as she tried to catch her breath. She laid in her bed as she stared at the eggshell white tiles of the ceiling, listening to the ticking of the clock on the wall. Her amber eyes wandered around the bedroom, seeing the morning light shining through the windows and curtains. Illuminating the room. She sat on the side of her bed, wearing a white T-shirt and black shorts, as she wiped the cold sweat from her forehead and buried her face in the palms of her hands, recollecting herself.

She looked at her right hand and sees a light mist fading away. "It's gonna take more than nightmares to break me. Grimm." With that said, she got up from the bed and went towards the bathroom to take a shower. Ready to get her day started.

* * *

 **AN: YouTube: The Village Soundtrack- The Gravel Road**

After the shower, getting dress with her usual hunter outfit, and a quick breakfast, the fanus walked out of the house she is staying in and out onto the mourning streets of Dusk Haven. After locking the door, she began walking down the town's cobblestone streets. She can see that a fog is currently rolling through the valley that the village sits in, as if the two are working together as a veil to cover the shrouded village.

Wanting to get a better view of the village, Lara freerun up some wooden crates that are stacked like a staircase. She leapt off the edge, grabbed onto a light post which both of her hands and swung off to a balcony of a building which she landed on the railing. With that, she began climbing up the building, grabbing on to the edge of windows until she got to the roof.

Now that shes on top of the building, she can see more of the village. She looked upon the Gothic-Victorian architecture of the town as it sits in the silent fog. In the distance, she can see the town's clocktower standing tall in the center as it towers over the village.

"This village, it's just like us. It's always hiding in the shadows." Lara cracked a smirk as she let out a small chuckle. "Its definitely fit for a person like myself."

"I never took you as a mourning gazer. I take it that you're enjoying the view?" Came a woman's voice from behind her. Lara looked behind her at the corner of her eye, seeing Saya leaning her back against a wall with her arms crossed. "You're following me now Saya?" Lara asked with a straight tone as she looked back towards the scenery.

"Don't get the wrong idea. I come here often, you just happen to be at my spot." Saya said in a straight tone of her own.

"The burial. Its in a couple of weeks, isn't it?" Lara asked the silver haired woman who gave a nod in response. "People are still grieving over the death of the hunters who died that night." Saya sounded to have a bit of a depressed tone in her voice.

"You know. Funerals don't usually take this long to put together."

"Thats right? This is your first mass burial, isn't it? We have to make sure that the souls of the fallen are transcended properly or else the soul will eventually come back as a Grimm." Saya told the fanus.

"I see. So even after death we can still become Grimm huh?" _'Then that would mean Edward...'_ Lara clinched her right fist. _'If that idiot hadn't run in alone, he would still be...'_

"Rather you're a Cursed Hunter or not, you can still become a Grimm. Just like what the legend says." Saya replied. "While we're still on the subject. How are you holding up?" She then asked the fanus.

"What do you mean 'How am I holding up'?"

"I believe you know what I mean." Saya said as she motioned towards Lara's clinched fist, which is emitting a light Grimm mist. Lara grabbed her own hand, hiding it from Saya's sight. "I'm fine."

"Are you sure about that?" Saya looked at the fanus with her red eyes, raising an eyebrow. "You know, when you first joined the brotherhood you didn't seem like the sociable type, you always kept to yourself. You seem like those individuals who have a past that they're not proud of, one that haunts them. Your Grimm. Its feeding off you, isn't it? Lara, if you keep bottling up these emotions. Your Grimm will grow too strong for you to handle. You know what will happen eventually."

Lara raised an eyebrow as she kept her back facing the silver haired woman. "You're giving me counseling Saya?"

"I was once in your position. I wouldn't open up to those around me. I haven't opened up completely, but I learned that doing so eases the pain and calms the Grimm."

"So you're suggesting that I start opening up?"

"Well, the others barely know much about you."

"...And it should stay that way." Lara said with a hint of coldness in her tone. Saya didn't reaction to Lara's response, she just only sighed. "Then...I guess thats it for you, you're going to become a Grimm. I might as well hunt you. Right now."

Lara let out a sigh. "Fine. Where do I start?"

"Well. Let's start by talking about whats been eating at you this whole time. Thats a good start. And if you decide to lie. You won't be cheating me, you'll be cheating yourself."

Lara let out another sigh. "Fine. I'll start by telling you why I joined the brotherhood and thats all you'll get." She told the silver haired woman with a serious tone, which Saya gave a nod. "Understood"

Lara took a breath before starting. "Six years ago, I was part of the White Fangs. As you may know, they were once a civil rights organization for fanuses. Eventually, we received a new leader, a ruthless one. One night, we were given orders to attack and slaughter the people of a town. Innocent people. My people...they did it without questioning, they set the town ablaze. I still remember the bloodcurdling screams of that night, especially the ones of innocent children." Lara said as she continued. "I couldn't take it. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. So in a frantic state of mind, I ran. I abandoned the White Fang. I knew that once they found out that I was gone, they'll come looking for me. So I was on the run for about two to three days before collapsing in the woods from exhaustion. When I woke up, I found myself here. And after seeing the Black Winged Hunters and what they do, I thought that if I joined and obtained the power that they have then I could take down the White Fang."

"So thats why you became a Cursed Hunter." Saya said which Lara nodded. "But..." The fanus continued. "When I left, I didn't just leave the White Fang behind. I also left something else, someone more precious to me than life itself." Lara closed her eyes. "It was...my daughter."

 _'Thats right. She did say that she has a daughter?'_ Saya thought as her eyes slightly widened.

"She was eleven years old when I left. I was twenty-nine. I can imagine how hard things must have been for her without me being there. Its been six years since we've last seen each other. I keep trying to bring myself to talk to her, but..."

"I see what the problem is here. Since you left your daughter and with the way you are now, you fear of what she may say and think of you. Your Grimm is feeding off your fear and guilt." Saya told the fanus who put her crow mask on. "Lara, you have to bring yourself to confront your daughter and explain to her what happened. Its the only solution to this."

"I've talked long enough. I'm going to do my mourning rounds." With that said, Lara turned into a flock of crows, taking took off into the fog. Saya held her head and sigh. "Fear and guilt. The one combination that breaks even the strongest of hunters."

* * *

In the bedroom of Team KREL, the Cainhurst siblings rested peacefully in their beds, well...minus Kazato who is sleeping in a hammock. Being a snorer, Kazato slept in his night clothes a simple white shirt and black shorts, his left arm hanging out of the hammock. His sisters, both being light snorers and not still sleepers, slept in their night clothes. Elisa wearing a black shirt and gray pajama pants and Rize wearing a gray shirt and black shorts, on their messy bed sheets. A result from their frequent moving in their sleep.

Lucilia, already having her school uniform on, walking into the room and turned the lights on. "Alright you lazy bums! I've let you sleep long enough! Get up!" Lucilia raised her voice as she clapped her hands, purposely making a lot of noise for the sleeping teens. The three groaned as the light disturbed their slumber.

"Mom, let us sleep in. Please?" Elisa moaned as she covered her head with her pillow.

"I'm not your mother. Get up!" Lucilia raised her voice again. Rize groaned as she slowly got out of bed. "Okay Okay. I'm up. Geez." She said as she yawned and scratched the back of her head, half-awake and with a bedhead. Well, one couldn't tell if she had a bedhead since her natural hair style is the wild look.

 _'One down, two to go.'_ The Arcana thought as she looked at the two still sleeping siblings. Using her semblance, Lucilia zeroed out the gravity around Elisa, causing her to float in the air upside-down. "Ahhh! Okay, I'm awake! I'm awake!" Elisa yelled as she eyes shot wide open.

"Give me five more minutes Lucilia." Kazato said as he turned over on the hammock. Lucilia's right eyebrow twitched. "I. Said. Get. Up!" She yelled with frustration as she flipped the hammock over with Kazato on it, causing him to fall and hit the wooden floor. "OW! Okay, I'm up! I'm up!" The raven haired boy yelled in pain as he held his head.

"Lucky for you three, I took the liberty of getting your uniforms ready earlier this morning. Next time, you're doing it yourselves. Now get ready, class is in thirty minutes." Lucilia told the half-awake siblings as they stood next to each other.

"Shes an early riser, isn't she?" Rize said to her siblings.

"Kazato, aren't you the team leader?" Elisa asked her brother.

"Last I checked, I am." Kazato responded.

"Less standing around and more moving! Let's go!" Lucilia yelled, getting her team in gear.

While the siblings are getting themselves ready, Kazato frowned as he looked at himself in the mirror with his school uniform on. "Argh! I always hated wearing uniforms." He said with a little frustration as he struggled to tie his tie.

"Kazato, whats the hold up?" Lucilia asked when she saw him standing in front of the mirror. "I can't remember how to tie this damn thing." Kazato replied as he tried and failed to tie the tie. Lucilia gave him a look. "You're taking the piss, right? Come here." Lucilia said in a demanding tone as she began tying the tie for him. "You can hunt but you can't tie a tie and you call yourself a man?!"

"Hey watch it! I just don't care for formal wear. Not everyone is born into a high-class family from Mistral." Kazato said in defense.

"Well as your friend Roy would say if he were here. 'You're gonna learn today.'" Lucilia quoted the person named Roy.

"Oh Roy? Heh, he can't talk. He hate it just much as I do." Kazato chuckled. The mention of the name caught Rize's attention. "What was that about big mouth?"

"His nickname is arsonist." Elisa said from across the room.

After the siblings got themselves ready, the team left their room and head down the hall to exit the dorm. They eventually passed by the rooms of teams RWBY and JNPR. "Hey, should we check and see if they're up?" Elisa asked her team.

"We don't have much time. They're probably already eating breakfast." Lucilia said as the team exited the dorm and out into the large schoolyard filled with other teams of different years. "So Lucilia. Yesterday when you were telling us about the Vilebloods and the Executioners, do you think Weiss knows about it?" Elisa asked.

"I don't really know. To be honest, I think if she did know about the violent past between our families, then she probably wouldn't bare to look at me knowing that I'm an Arcana, a Vileblood. Its a common reaction from those of the Schnee family who know who the Arcanas really are." Lucilia answered Elisa's question. "While we're on the subject about yesterday, there is something of importance that I forgot to go over with you three."

"Oh yeah? What is it?" Rize asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Its about your supernatural abilities, your Grimm. I suggest that you three refrain from using it around people that are not Cursed Hunters or members of my family." Lucilia told the three. Kazato nodded in agreement to what she recommended. "Yeah, I agree with you there. Ruby and Weiss literally freaked out when I used mine. I had to lie and say that it was my semblance."

"The one thing we don't want is to draw attention, especially from the faculty and staff. From this moment on, this will be Team KREL's _dark_ secret. No one should know, not even the members of teams RWBY and JNPR."

"Aw man. Ruby and Knight's team? I actually like those guys." Elisa said with her hands at the back of her head.

"Its not like shes saying that we can't talk to them. We just have to keep the true about us a secret." Rize told her little sister.

"I know that. It just feels a little wrong not to tell them, its kinda like saying that we won't fully trust them."

"I understand what you mean Elisa, but somethings are meant to be kept a secret." Lucilia told the blond as they walked into their first class. The Cainhurst siblings stood wide eyed at the sheer size of the large classroom which looks like that of a college classroom. There are other students already in the classroom sitting at the rows of desks and standing at the front of the classroom is Professor Ozpin himself, awaiting for the rest of the class to arrive.

"Ah, Team KREL. Please take your seats, class will begin shortly." Ozpin told the team who gave a nod and sat down in one of the rows.

"The Headmaster is teaching our class?" Rize asked to no one in particular with a raised eyebrow, which Lucilia shook her head. "Our teacher for this class is named Professor Clark. Professor Ozpin is probably watching over the class until he arrives."

"Well, since we're waiting..." Kazato pulled his scroll out of his pocket and signed into his account on Remnant Online. Lucilia gave him a look. "Kazato, what are you doing?"

"Killing time."

"Put that away. You're none supposed to have that in class." Lucilia's voice took command. Kazato gave her a look in return. "Hey, who's the leader here? Me. Don't try to order me around." Lucilia instantly raised an eyebrow after hearing what he said. "Let's see. Who got the team up and ready for class on time? Who took the liberty of looking over our team's class schedule? Oh yes Kazato Cainhurst, your leadership is quite smashing. A one of a kind." The Arcana said with sarcasm clearly in her voice.

"Hey, you didn't have to say it like that!" Elisa came to her brother's defense.

"No, shes right. If I'm gonna be leader of the pack then I have to step up my game." Kazato said as he put his scroll back in his pocket. Just about thirty minutes later, teams RWBY and JNPR burst through the classroom door with Ruby at the front of group, panting along with everyone else.

"Sorry...we're late...professor. We...lost track of time." Ruby panted, trying to catch her breath.

"Please take your seats. Your teacher will be here shortly." Ozpin simply told the teams as they walked down the rows to get to any open seats.

"I told you we should've checked." Elisa whispered to Lucilia.

"Late for class on the first day Weiss? You're off to a bad start." Lucilia said with a smirk on her face. Weiss glared at her before sitting down. "Why don't you go back to Mistral where you belong? Doesn't the Arcanas favor Haven Academy?"

"I can ask you the same thing about Atlas." Lucilia respond to Weiss's remark. Members of both teams KREL and RWBY exchanged looks to one another after seeing the two exchange words.

"Attention class." Came Ozpin's voice, instantly grabbing everyone's undivided attention. "Your professor, Alexander Clark, is currently sick. In his absences, his assistant will teach your class. Ms. Valentine, you may come in." Ozpin said aloud. Soon after, a door at the right side of the classroom opened up followed by a young woman walking in carrying books and papers.

She looked to be in her early twenties. She has a white skin tone with silverish white hair and emerald green colored eyes. She wears a white blouse, a pair of jeans with a rip design and black heeled boots. The class watched as the young assistant walked in with the stack of books and papers until...

"WHOA!" The woman suddenly tripped over herself causing her to drop the stack she is carry as she fell, papers scattering on the floor.

"Ouch" Jaune winced.

"Um, is she okay?" Ruby asked to no one in particular as some of the students in the class began to snicker. Ozpin let a small sigh as the young woman sat up, placing her right hand on the back of her head where one of the books fell on her. "Ow." The woman looked up to see the big mess she had made and began to panic. "Oh no! Professor Clark's papers!" She gasped as she scrambled franticly to pick up the papers. "I'm such a clums!"

"Clums?" Ruby repeated in confusion as she looked at her teammates who just shrugged their shoulders.

"It's a name for a person so is clumsy." Elisa whispered to the silver-eyed girl.

"Ms. Valentine..." Ozpin called the woman by her last name, gaining her attention. The woman got up with the stack of books and papers, trying to laugh it off with nervous laughter. "Haha. Sorry Professor Ozpin. I've always been a little clumsy." She said as she put the stack on the desk.

"Are you sure that you can do this? This is your first year here at Beacon." Ozpin asked the silver haired woman who gave a nodded in response. "Yes sir, I can manage." With that said, she picked up a piece of chalk and wrote her name in cursive on the chalk board behind them, also putting a few stars around her name.

Ozpin let out another small sigh. _'Was it really necessary for her to put stars?'_ The woman then faced the class. "Hi everyone. My name is Hope Valentine. I am your assistant teacher for this class. As Professor Ozpin has already informed you. Professor Clark has come down with a really bad cold, so I'll teach in his place until he gets well. It's a pleasure to meet you all and I hope that we'll have a fun year together."

Weiss raised her hand to gain Hope's attention. "Yes, you have a question?" Hope asked the heiress.

"Hope Valentine, right? You're name sounds familiar. Are you with the SOLIS Corporation in Atlas?" Weiss said her with curiosity. Hope blinked with surprise clearly on her face. "Y-Yes, I am. My father runs the company. You're Weiss Schnee, correct? I'm flattered that you remember my name."

"Wait? SOLIS? Isn't that the company that creates airships and bulkheads?" Kazato asked. Hope gave a confirming nod. "We mostly create airships and bulkheads used for public transportation. The Atlas military create their own." Elisa is the next one to raise her hand. "Yes?" Hope gave Elisa her attention.

"What is your semblance? Can we see it?" The blond asked with curiosity in her voice.

"Well..." Hope looked to Ozpin who gave a nod of approval. "In short, my semblance allows me to interface with, or manipulate, technology."

"Interface with technology?" Pyhrra repeated back with a raised eyebrow. Hope nodded. "Let me show you. Let's see…" Hope looked around the classroom, trying to find what she can use her semblance on. She then noticed Kazato looking down at the table in front of him, he seemed to be doing something.

"Excuse me, sir?" Hope called out to Kazato. Rize elbowed her brother to give the silver-haired woman his attention. "Y-Yeah"

"What are you doing?" Hope asked him, she knew that he is on his scroll. "Um, nothing." Kazato lied to her.

"Hm. Okay." With that, Hope's emerald green eyes began to glow, activating her semblance. "Oh? You play Remnant Online? I play that too. Thats a fun MMORPG game." Kazato instantly blinked with utter surprise. "Wait, what?"

"Let's see the stats of your character." Hope said as she interfaced with a hologram screen that appeared in front of the class. Kazato looked down at his scroll to see that the game has when to his character's stats by itself, which also appeared on the hologram screen for all to see. "How the hell?!"

"You're a level 53 Grimmlock and your stats aren't bad." Hope said, looking at his stats. The class gazed with amazement at what Hope had displayed, a few whispers going about. "Hey, thats invasion of privacy!" Kazato yelled.

"I-I'm sorry, but it was the only opinion I had to show my semblance. I didn't want to look into your personal files." Hope said in defense.

"Playing video games in class Mr. Cainhurst?" Ozpin gave Kazato a look.

"Heh. What a loser." Came Cardin's voice at the back of the class which Kazato heard. "You wanna say that to my face pal?!" Kazato stood up from his seat but Lucilia pulled him back down. "Don't be so quick to get cheesed off." Yang looked up at the screen, seeing Kazato's character. "Huh. I didn't think that the servers were still up."

"You've played this before?" Blake asked the brawler.

"Yeah, as a kid but I stopped." Yang told her. Ruby frowned as she looked at the game, bad memories of it resurfacing. "Are you okay?" Weiss asked the silver-eyed girl, seeing the look on her face. Yang noticed the expression on her sister's face and couldn't help but giggle. "Yeah shes fine. She just had a bad experience with the game when she was younger. She was new to it."

"Did she get caught in 'The Hunt'?" Nora snickered. Since she played the game before she knows full well how new players are given a _warm welcome_." Ruby's eyes widen a bit. "Please don't mention that name."

"She got caught in the 'The Hunt', huh? Did the higher level players give her the FNG treatment?" Kazato asked the brawler who snickered as a response.

"FNG treatment?" Pyhrra said in confusion.

"Whats that supposed to mean?" Weiss asked. Elisa whispered what the term means in the heiress's ear, which made her eyes widen with disgust. "Oh you gamers are atrocious!" As the chatter in the classroom began to die down, the same door Hope used to enter the classroom opened, revealing a tall middle-aged man walking in. He has on a black hat that seems well-worn. A brown formal jacket made of polyester with a white long-sleeve shirt, a red tie, and a black formal vest on underneath along with a gold pendant around his neck. His attire is completed with a simply black dress pants and black dress shoes. His skin tone a sickly pale white, he has brown hair that hangs out from underneath his hat and his eyes looked droopy.

"Professor Clark? You didn't have to come in today?" Hope recognized the man as the professor of the class.

"Alexander, you mustn't be out of bed." Opzin said to the professor as he got to his desk where Hope is. "I'm terribly sorry Professor Ozpin. Ms. Valentine." Alexander said in a sickly tone as he began to cough. "I'll head back..." He coughed in the middle of his sentence. "...to the infirmary. Once I've introduce myself to my class." He said as he began to clear his throat from the nasty cough. Hope looked at Ozpin with a worried look which he gave a nod to let him continue.

"Good morning class. I am Professor Alexander Clark, your teacher. Here, Ms. Valentine and I will teach you about team formations when hunting along with the advance ways of using your aura. Which some of you may already know how to. Also Ms. Valentine will-" Before he could continue on, he suddenly began coughing again but this time it got worst and worst each time he coughed. It got so bad to the point that he hilled over the desk, the coughing fit not letting up.

"Professor Clark! Please, you have to go back!" Hope said with worry clearly in her voice as she and Ozpin tried to help him, giving him a cloth to cough into. The class watched with worried expressions, seeing the man's condition first hand.

"That sounds like a really bad cold." Weiss said with a worried tone of her own.

"Yeah, I hope he gets something for that." Jaune added in. The Cainhurst siblings began to feel a slight pulsating feeling in the pit of their stomachs, which made them feel uneasy.

"Guys..." Elisa whispered out to her team.

"Yeah, I feel it too." Rize whispered back. "What about you Lucilia?" She asked as she looked over to the Arcana at the corner of her eye, seeing a look of uneasiness in her glowing arcane infused purple eyes.

"It's very faint but I can see it." Lucilia told them.

"What do we do?" Elisa asked, worrying of what might happen next.

"What can we do? We have to let the teachers handle this." Kazato answered.

"Ugh..." Yang frowned as she placed her hand over her stomach, feeling a little uncomfortable. Ruby noticed this and began concerned. "Are you okay Yang?"

The brawler gave her sister an assuring nod. "Yeah, I'm just feeling a little queasy all of a sudden. Maybe its something that I ate." Just then, Glynda entered the classroom, hastily making her way to Alexander. "Professor Ozpin and I will take it from here Ms. Valentine." The huntress said, receiving a nod from Hope. Just before Ozpin and Glynda left with the sickly Alexander, Hope whispered to Ozpin. "I've picked up the scent of five of them in the classroom, but one is stronger than the rest. I'll tell you about it later" She told him.

 _'Five? So there is one more?'_ With that thought in mind Ozpin gave a nod before he and Glynda escorted Alexander out of the classroom and closed the door. With that, Hope turned and faced the class. "So, let's begin shall we?"

* * *

In a town somewhere outside the kingdoms, six people gathered within a private room in the town's tavern. Were they wouldn't be disturbed. The room has no windows. Three wooden round tablets with chairs sat in the room, each having a lantern in the middle of the table that dimly illuminates the darkness in the room. The atmosphere in the room isn't the kind that will make one comfortable due to the individuals that occupy the room.

"Another odd job?!" Roman, sitting at one of the tables, raised his voice at Cinder as he slammed his hands on the table. "You want me to go into another one of those damn places?!" Cinder, sitting at the same table, said nothing at the moment as she delicately placed her glass of red wine on the table. "You've done it before. It shouldn't be much of a problem."

"Shouldn't be much of a problem?! Do you have any idea of the kind of stuff that is in those tombs?!" Roman yelled again, clearly not happy with what Cinder wants him to do. Emerald, who is leaning her back against a wall and with her arms crossed, rolled her eyes and sucked her teeth at Roman's complaining. "Is there anyone else we can send? Because apparently, he is too much of a..."

"...Pussy to do it." Mercury, leaning back in a chair and propping his feet up at one of the other tablets, added in his own words that the end of Emerald's sentence.

"Not exactly what I was going to say, but its close." Emerald replied to what Mercury said. Roman gave the two teens an annoyed look. "You know? She should send you two instead, let you see how jacked up those tombs are! Especially you." Roman pointed his cane that Emerald. "You're a damn good thief, right? Go have a crack at it." He then brought his attention back to Cinder who is enjoying herself another sip of her red wine. "You were already riding my ass like a race horse about the Dust! Now you want me to start collecting this weird disgusting stuff in a jar?! In case you've forgotten, I only deal with what puts money in my pocket, and thats Dust! Also, each time I get this stuff for you, you always have me give it to some weird cage wearing guy who I believe lives in that abandoned Grimm infested city! What is called again?! Yemen?"

"Yharnam" Cinder corrected him.

"Yeah, whatever it's called! What is his name?! Who the hell is he?! I swear that guy gives me the creeps every time I see him!"

"Wait? Are you talking about that creepy who wears a cage on his head?" Emerald asked Roman, getting an idea of who he is talking about. Mercury let out a laugh. "Oh that guy? I call him the 'Freak Show'."

"So what the hell do you need this other stuff for?!" Roman finally ended his rant with a question.

"Are you done?" Came a young male's voice. Roman turned around in his chair to see Adam, on the opposite side of the room, leaning with his back against the wall and his arms crossed as well. "If so, then I can find out why she called me to come here."

"I asked her a question, didn't I?" Roman replied with a smart tone. "Besides, the last time I went into one of those tombs with those animals of yours, I nearly made it out alive. Its a good thing I had Neo with me." He mentioned Neo who standing next to him. "They can barely do anything right."

"Animals...?" Adam raised an eyebrow underneath his mask after hearing what Roman said about the White Fang.

"You heard me right and I'll say it again. Animals. They can't think for themselves, they need someone to tell them what to do, and they can't do anything right unless someone it watching over them."

Adam got off the wall he was leaning on and walked up to Roman, who got up from his chair and stood face-to-face with Adam. "The only animal amongst them is you." Adam replied back with a cold tone. Roman just laughed. "I'm an animal huh? Well unlike the other animals, THIS animal doesn't act out of vengeance and rage. THIS animal has brains and connections. So with that said, I can steal more Dust than you could in a year."

"You're just like the others. You know nothing about us." Adam placed his hand on the handle of his Chikage, a faint black and red mist emitting from his hand. Roman noticed this and gripped his cane, not breaking eye contact from Adam. Emerald and Mercury exchanged wide eyed looks with each other after seeing the mist. _'What is that?'_

"Thats enough you two." Cinder spoke up, gaining their attention. "Roman..." She said the criminal's name, looking at him with eyes burning with a fiery hue. "...You are going to do the job, right?"

Sweat formed from Roman's scalp as it ran down his cheek. "Alright, fine." Roman sighed in defeat. "What are you going to do? I know you didn't call everyone here just to force me to do this"

"We have a job of our own, which is why I called Adam. There is a special Atlas military base that is both a research facility and testing site for biological weapons and other upcoming toys they're making that could prove useful for our resource gathering. So we're going to pay them a visit." Cinder told him.

"Whats in it for me?" Adam asked in his usual monotone.

"It'll be supplied to the White Fang of course. I don't have much use for them in my line of work." Cinder told him as she leaned back in her chair, running her finger along the rim of her half glass of wine. "Besides, a certain _someone_ recommended that you join us. She'll be there too."

Adam raised an eyebrow underneath his mask when Cinder said ' _she'._ "Are you sure this came from _her?"_ He asked with the usual seriousness in his tone.

"What would I gain from lying to you?" Cinder said with a grin as she took another drink of her wine.

"Atlas weaponry huh? It'll make things a lot easier than with just those _animals._ " Roman said with a smug smirk. Adam let out a small growl of irritation as he started to walk towards the door. "Oh? Did I strike a nerve?" Roman said when he noticed Adam leaving.

"Would you shut up already? You talk too damn much!" Emerald yelled at the criminal in frustration. Roman had no idea how lucky he is right now. If he wasn't working with Cinder, Adam would have already sliced him in half. "Aw. Is someone caring about the Fangs?" Roman said in a taunting tone.

Emerald's eyebrow twitched. "Cinder, can I knock the hell of him?! Please?!" Cinder just sigh as she looked towards Adam. "Don't tell me that someone like Roman got to you?"

"I'm making a call." Is all the fanus said as he left the room.

"Let's go Neo. The sooner we get this disgusting stuff, the sooner we can go back to collecting the real prizes." Roman said as he too got ready to leave.

"About that Roman." Cinder stopped him. "You're going on your own on this one. We need her to infiltrate the base along with Emerald."

"WHAT?! BY MYSELF?!"

* * *

 **AN: Thanks for reading everyone. I'm gonna to try and write as Alfred in the greeting of the next chapter, which is close to being finished. Also, I want to note that Adam's age is estimated to be 23 years old. Meaning that he and Blake are six years apart. Regarding that Lara left at age 29. I'll let you do the math to see how old she is now.**

 **Anyway please fav/follow. Constructive criticism is happily accpted. This is Chronicles, calling it a wrap.**


	9. Feud! It's brawl in the family!

Three bulkheads are currently flying through the forest covered valley of Forever Falls. The red maple leaves of the trees covered the area, as if giving it a crimson coating. Riding inside one of the bulkheads are members of the White Fang. A group of male and female fanuses, all wearing White Fang uniforms, are currently standing in the cargo bay of the bulkhead. The fanuses stand in silence in the dark cargo bay that is dimly lit by red lighting, feeling their bodies slightly sway side to side with the motion of the aircraft.

At the back of the cargo bay sits a particular male member of the White Fang. He too has the White Fang uniform on but his jacket is unzipped, revealing his shirtless toned upper body and six-pack. He slouched down in the chair that he is sitting in with his head hanging back and his hood covering his eyes, the snoring indicating that he is asleep. Both of his arms rested on the arms of the chair, resting his right foot on top of his left knee and his lion tail resting off the side of the chair.

He is eventually waken up by the sound of his scroll ringing in his pocket. Stirring out of his slumber, the member reached in his pocket, pulled out his scroll out of his pocket and answered. "What?..." He said with tiredness clearly in his voice.

"It's me." Came Adam's voice on the other end of the line.

"Oh, Adam? Whats up man?" The male fanus said as he sat up in the chair, his tiredness fading away. "How's the boring ass meeting?" He asked as he took off his hood, revealing his face. He has a white skin tone, blond hair with a thin beard, and his eyes has a yellowish color along with a long scar that runs down his right eye. He also looked to be in his early to mid twenties.

"I am needed for a job that will benefit the White Fang. So I'm leaving it you to complete the task." Adam told the male fanus. The lion fanus cracked a smile. "Damn. That hot piece has you running an errand for her? Heh, alright. Consider it done." He said, referring to Cinder as a 'hot piece'.

"Remember Leon. No survivors." Adam gave the order. The smile on Leon's face turned into a sadistic one. "It's one of the things I do best. Hey, tell that hot piece I said what's up, along with fun size if she is there too." He said, referring to Neo as 'fun size'. With that said, they both hung up.

Leon stood up from his chair, letting out a groan as he popped his neck and joints. Leon Mustang is second-in-command of the White Fang. Whenever Adam is absent, he is the one calling the shots. Aside from that, he is also a SS-class criminal. A most wanted and infamous pirate known throughout Remnant as 'The Savage Beast'.

"Alright girls and boys! I just got word from the big man himself to start this party without him! So for the time being, I'm the captain of this ship! Is that clear?" Leon said aloud to the other White Fang members in a forceful and commanding tone.

"Yes sir!" The other fanuses replied in unison, not having a problem with this.

"Attention members. We're approaching the target now." Came the plot's voice on the intercom. "Prepare yourselves for the drop." Leon walked to the front of the group where the hatch is, with his hands in his pockets and a big grin on his face. "Sounds like its just about showtime Fangs." With that, the alarm buzzed throughout the cargo bay as the hatch opened revealing the horizon of the Forever Falls as sunlight shined in, the air rushing in as it blew against the fanuses. Looking down, Leon sees railroad tracks on a bridge below them and running on the tracks is a train, possibly a cargo train containing Dust.

With a twisted smile, Leon let out a chuckle. "They're shipping it by railroad huh? Heh, haven't they learned already? It doesn't matter if they move it by rail, sea, or skies. I'm still gonna take it." After the Bulkheads got close enough to the train, Leon jumped off with a backflip followed by the rest of the White Fang members in the other two bulkheads. Air rushed past Leon as he rushes towards the train, his yellow lion eyes widening with thrill and excitement as adrenaline run through his veins.

A hatch on the train opened with Atlas soldiers climbing out onto the roof, carrying firearms. The soldiers trained their guns at the fanuses as they landed on the train, with Leon landing in the front. The pirate slowly raise to his feet with his hands in his pockets, cracking a sadistic grin and chuckle.

"Wait? Is that..." One of the soldiers started when they caught sight of Leon. Leon's body started to glow with a yellow hue. "Say, you boys have some nice fighting spirit...and fear." He said with the sadistic grin still on his face as a laugh escaped his lips. "Hahahahaha! Alright Fangs! It's meal time!"

"FIRE! EMPTY THOSE CLIPS!" One of the soldiers shouted as guns began to blaze.

* * *

In one of the trains cargo cars, ten Atlas soldiers stood their ground as they pointed their guns that the door in front of them. Hearing the gunshots and screams coming from their comrades. The body of a Atlas soldier came flying through the door, taking it off it's hinges, and rolled out in front of the ten soldiers. The lifeless body of the soldier is covered in his own blood. With his helmet off, the soldiers could see bruises on his neck, indicating that it is broken along with the expression that he was desperately gasping for air.

Just then, they started to hear footsteps coming from the door. Looking up, they see Leon casually walking into the cargo car with his hands still in his pocket. Gasping, the soldiers trained their guns on him as he continued to walk towards them. Behind him, they could the bodies of other Atlas soldiers and train staff, blood splattered on the floors and walls.

"Its like this on every damn train, you always keep the Dust at the back and you have ten people guarding it. Can't you guys do something different for a change? I'm tried of having the same damn meals." He said the last part with a sigh. "Alright, how should I go about this?" He asked himself as he pointed to each soldier. "Snap your neck. Smashing your head on a crate. Shoot you with his gun while using him as a shield and then break his spine. And then..." Before he could continue, the soldiers opened fire. Unnerved that he is actually deciding on how to kill them.

"Hey! I wasn't done choosing from my menu!" Leon said with a sadistic grin as he moved in with his hands still in his pockets, moving side to side to dodge the bullets. He jumped into the air, out off the bulletstorm, and landed behind one of the soldiers. Before the soldier could turn around, Leon instantly put his hands on his head and twisted violently, snapping his neck. "Thats one." Leon counted as he took off to the next one, the soldier's _will_ to continue fighting feeding his urge for bloodshed.

Getting to the next soldier, he elbowed him straight in the stomach causing him the hill over in pain. He then uppercut the soldier causing his helmet to come off. With that, Leon grabbed him by the neck and ran towards a nearby crate. "RAAAAA!" Leon let out a sadistic shout, smashing the soldier's head through the wooden crate, killing him. "Hehehe... Hahahahaha! More! I'M STILL HUNGERY!" The pirate laughed with sadistic glee as his body began to glow with a yellow hue. With that, he took off in a yellow flash and appeared behind one of the other soldiers. Before they could react, Leon grabbed them, put their left arm in the chicken wing submission hold, placed his finger on top of their's on the trigger and pulled, shooting one of the other soldiers.

"He's using him as a human shield!" One of the soldiers shouted.

"Not for long" Leon grinned as he jabbed his right handed into the back of the soldier. The soldier let out a bloodcurdling scream until Leon snapped his spine with his hand, killing him instantly.

"What are you waiting for dammit! FIRE!" One of the soldiers, who is probably the squad leader, shouted the order. As ordered, one of the soldiers fired a rocket launcher that the fanus creating an explosion as a result. "I-Is he dead?" One of the soldier said with uncertainty.

"Keep your guns up! He already killed four of us!" The commanding officer ordered.

"Have you guys ever heard of the term 'Fight or Flight'?" Came Leon's voice, which sent chills down the soldiers spines. When the smoke cleared it revealed Leon still glowing with a yellow hue. "Thats what my semblance run off of, and all you've been doing is feeding it. Now come on, I know thats not all the fighting spirit you have! Do you have what it takes to take on a beast?!" Leon said with a forceful tone and a sadistic look, his aura making the atmosphere around the soldiers feel heavy and intense. "...Or is it bring replaced with fear? Either one works for me!"

"H-He's not a fanus! He's a monster!"

"I'm getting the hell outta here!" All of the soldiers, except for the commanding officer, dropped their weapons and ran in the opposite direction. The commanding officer is shocked by what happened. "He breaks moral with just a look? What the hell is he?" Just then, Leon appeared in front of him in a flash and grabbed him by the neck with his right hand, picking him up off the ground.

"You know what I like about you humans?" Leon asked the soldier as he began to tighten his grip, choking the him. The soldier struggled in vein as he tried to get free. "You guys are so easy to break. You show up thinking that you're unstoppable, then someone like me makes you turn tail and haul ass. No matter what you do, you're always feeding my semblance. Whether it be your fighting spirit or your fear. Also..." He tightened his grip even more. "You're so easy to kill. All I simply have to do is squeeze." He tightened his grip once again around the soldier's neck, his grip getting tighter and tighter whenever he says 'squeeze'. The soldier's eyes widen as he struggled for air. "Squeeze. Squeeze. Squeeze. And squeeze some more. And Squeeze. Squeeze, until..." As if on cue, the soldier's neck snapped with a sicken crack and his body fell limp.

"Damn. He broke already." The Lion fanus said as he tossed the body to the side. Just then, he started to hear rapid gunshots coming from the next train. This caught his interest. "Rapid gun fire? Sounds like someones carrying some big guns." The thought of what could be happening in the next car started to excite him. Putting his blood covered hands back in his pockets, he walked off towards the sounds of the gun fire which he eventually turned his walk into a run.

* * *

A shoot out occurred in the next train car between three members of the White Fang and one Atlas soldier. Bodies of White Fang members and Atlas soldiers laid lifeless on the floor as the shots continued, with the last standing Atlas soldier being pinned in a corner. Staff members of the train hid under table or laid on the blood spilled floor to avoid getting hit by the barrage of flying bullets.

"Damn! They have me cornered!" The soldier said as he ducked behind a counter to reload, starting to run out of bullets. Just then, he heard the sounds of a the blade slicing through flesh followed by the bloodcurdling screams of the fanuses. Looking over the counter, he sees a man wearing a white outfit wore by those of the Schnee family. He has a blade in one hand and a gun in the other.

"An Executioner!" The soldier gasped as he came out from behind the counter. Just then, Leon opened the door to the car, gaining everyone's attention as he walked in and closed the door behind him.

"Huh?" Leon looked down and to see the lifeless bodies of his fallen comrades in front of him. Another twisted grin appeared on his face. "Hey hey, no one told me that there would be a Executioner on board, cream of the crop. For the Schnees to send one of their own, it looks like they really are hellbent on making sure their Dust gets delivered safely."

The Schnee pointed his gun at the pirate. "Your acts of terrorizing the Schnee family ends today. Surrender or I'll kill you where you stand. Savage Beast."

Leon raised a eyebrow. "So you know who I am? Well thats good to hear. And your will to fight is impressive, as excepted from an Executioner." The fanus said with the sadistic grin still on his face, his semblance allowing him to feel the Schnee's fighting spirit. _'This might be a satisfying meal.'_ The Schnee began to tighten his finger around the trigger of his gun. The moment he did, Leon appeared in front of him in a yellow flash, startling the Executioner.

He kicked the gun up and held it over the Schnee's shoulder, pulling the trigger. The gun roared to life as bullets blazed, shooting the soldier who is standing behind them.

 _'How did he...?'_ The Schnee thought as Leon kicked him off, causing him to fall to the floor. "I take back what I said earlier. You people CAN make this train ride fun."

"You're a dead man walking, you know that fanus? We won't let you live." The Executioner said with malice in his voice. Leon chuckled. "You're just like all the other Schnees I've killed. You all think that something special is going to protect you." Leon said as he tossed aside the gun he took from the Executioner.

The Schnee came up at him with a swipe of his blade. But when he did, Leon is nowhere in sight causing the Schnee to blink in confusion. Just then, Leon punched him dead in the stomach, knocking the breath out of him. It turned out that he ducked the swipe. "Heh, what was that?" Leon said as he delivered a punch to the face, stunning the Schnee causing him to stumble back.

Leon got into his boxing fighting style. "Come on, put up your dukes!" He said in a forceful tone as he jabbed the Executioner in the face, stunning him even more followed by the gasps of the people. "Show me that fighting spirit Executioners are known for!" He jabbed him again. "Come on, I know you have it!" He yelled as he delivered a right hook. "Come on! Show me! If you don't, you're going to get eaten alive here!" He delivered a uppercut which caused the Executioner to stumble back even more, about to trip over the dead body of a White Fang member but Leon caught him by the collar.

"Was it all just a bluff?" He asked as he delivered a uppercut, followed by a sicken crack. "As an Executioner yourself it shouldn't be a bluff, right?!" Leon delivered another hook. "Don't tell me it was! Oh it was?!" He then punched him in the stomach. "I'll make you pay for getting my hopes up pal!" Leon said as he jabbed the Executioner in the face twice and delivered a right hook, his punches matching his words. "Because even if you weren't!" His punches matching his words again. "You still. Here. To. Pay!" He finished with a knockout punch, causing the Schnee to back into a door at the end the car. Leon caught him by the chest with his left foot before he could fall to the floor.

"You still conscious, huh pal? You have a lot more fight in you than I thought. So you weren't holding out on me..." He said as he removed his foot and held the Executioner against the door with his left hand. "...Were you?"

"You...will feel the vengeful wrath...of the spirit of...martyr Logarius. You're...done for." The Executioner struggled out. Leon gave him dull look before punching him in the eye, letting him slide down the door and sat on the floor.

"I don't give a rat's ass about your martyr Logarius or whatever you Executioners believe in. I just know that you guys are my favorite enemies." Leon got down on his knee over the Executioner. "And as always, you have that same fighting spirit." With that said, he balled up his fists. "You Schnees are all the same." He said as he punched the man. "You think you're so smart!" He yelled as he began punching with both hands, blood starting the fly. A crazy look in his eyes.

"Oh yeah! With a Executioner on this cargo train, no one can touch our Dust! They're invincible and unbeatable! They are so strong, no one can stand against their might! Hahahaha! You Schnees are my absolute favorite people to kill! You look so beautifully amaze when you die! Especially when I squish your brains! Between my fingers! Like I'm making sausage!" Leon finished his vicious onslaught with a final punch, both of his hands covered with blood along with his clothes and face having a bit of blood that splattered on him.

The Schnee fell over to the floor, making small groaning noises. His face disfigured and bloody. "You managed to alive through all that pal? You Executioners are tough customers."

"Captain Mustang..." Came a female voice. Leon looked behind him to see three White Fang members walking into the train car. Leon greeted them with a grin. "Did you get all of the Dust they have?"

"Yes sir. They're loaded and ready to go." The female fanus replied as she looked upon the dead bodies of her fallen brethren with a pained look. "What...happened here?"

"They killed some of my crew, so I avenged them." Leon responded as he got up off the barely alive Schnee and walked towards the three. "Time to go Fangs."

"Go? What about the rest of the humans sir?" One of the male members asked.

"You have the detonators set, right?" Leon asked which he received a nod in response. "Heh. Then leave'em."

* * *

Winter Schnee is currently walking through the vast hallways of the Schnee family manor. The sound of her footsteps echoing throughout the vast space as she is making her way to her father's office. Winter is already in a unpleasant mood due to her father summoning her right in the middle of her duties. According to him, it is for the 'Good of the family' that she meet with him. But knowing her father, this is probably something for _his own good_ , not just the family.

Upon approaching the door to her father's office, she could hear voices from inside. Without a second thought, she knocked on the door causing the voices to stop. "Come in." Came Winter's father's voice. With that, the Schnee opened the door to the office and walked in. As excepted from any usual office, the room contained bookshelves, leather chairs, and fireplace at the back of the room where her father is currently sitting at his desk. The temperature within the office is dreadfully cold, even though he has a fireplace burning in the office.

"Winter..." Her father, Jacques Schnee, said the name of his oldest daughter. Jacques sat in his office chair with both of his elbows on the table and his fingers locked together in front of his face.

"Father..." Winter replied back in a all business tone, despite him being her father. At the corner of her left eye she noticed someone sitting in one of the chairs. Turning her gaze to look at the person, she caught sight of a woman that is in her early twenties. She has a pale white skin tone, long white hair and icy blue colored eyes. Her attire consist of a white tailcoat like the one Winter wears but unbuttoned. Underneath it she wears a black vest with a white blouse and a red tie. Completing her attire is a pair of white dress pants and black heeled boots.

The woman has her legs crossed with a sword in a blue sheath resting across her lap. "Hello dear cousin." The woman greeted Winter with a friendly smile. Winter's eyes instantly widened when she realized who this woman is but kept her cool. _'Arktis!'_ "Father, what is _she_ doing here?"

"Its nice to see you too Winter." The woman named Arktis said, trying to sound a little hurt by how Winter greeted her.

"There is a task that must be dealt with immediately." Jacques told her. "Our company have just discovered a ancient tomb underneath a abandoned city known as Jonan. Scanners detected high levels of magic coming from within. When there is magic, there is Dust. I'm sending you, Arktis, and your uncle along with a few other Executioners to go and secure the tomb so that our company can retrieve anything that is inside." He then noticed the unamused look on Winter's expressions and raised an eyebrow. "Is there a problem?"

"I don't mind working with Uncle Walter, but I think we can secure the area without the assists of Arktis." Winter said bluntly. Her cousin, Arktis, sighed. "Uncle Jacques, its clear that she doesn't want me participating because of how I handle things."

"Whenever conflict comes to our field of work, you become sadistic and unpredictable." Winter glared that her cousin.

"I'm sorry cousin but aren't we supposed to enforce the family's _will_ by any means necessary? For an Executioner, you seem to shy away from taking aggressive actions."

"Shy away? Answer me this Arktis. What is aggressive actions to you? Because in your case, you tend to use _excessive force_ when choosing to be aggressive! Which is why I refuse to work with you!" Winter shoot a look towards her. Arktis just smiled and shrugged her arms, making Winter twitch an eyebrow of irritation.

"Thats enough you two!" Jacques raised his voice to end the argument. "Winter, who is the head of this family?" He asked his oldest child who seemed reluctant to answer. "Tell me, who?"

Winter out let an irritated sigh. "You...father"

"...And with that position and power, I control the Executioners. You WILL work with Arktis on this assignment. Because like you, she is also one of the most distinguished members of the Executioners. The Executioners are the reason why this family can fight back, not only against the dreadful White Fang but also against..."

"The Arcana family..." Winter said the last part for him.

"Yes. Also known as the Vilebloods. Do I have to remind you what your ancestors had to do to deal with their kind?"

"...No, I remember it well just as any Executioner." Winter replied, unamused that she is getting a lecture from her father.

"Have you heard about the Arcana Industry's last week intruder incident?" Jacques then asked her which Arktis answered. "According to the media, the intruder stole something of great value to them."

"Thats right." Jacques nodded. "But when asked what the item was that the intruder stole. Alexander Arcana, head of that dreadful family, wouldn't answer. This caused me to become suspicious. It could be a possibility that the Arcana family had something that they shouldn't, something that would've allowed them to ruin us in this wretched war. Now do you see why I'm having you work with your cousin? Whatever is inside that tomb may allow us to finally close the curtains on this damn long and dreadful war. Do you understand?"

"I do" Winter said with another sigh.

"Good. Your attitude is the main reason why I striped you of the heiress title and gave it to your sister. If you continue it any longer then I may have to strip you of your rank in the Executioners." Jacques said bluntly, hitting Winter's soar spot when she lost the title of being the heiress to the family. "Now go." Is all he said as he turned around in his chair.

Winter gritted her teeth, trying to hide any signs of anger towards her father bringing that up. Without a word, she turned around to leave.

 _'Oh! He hit a soar spot.'_ Arktis thought as she got up to leave as well.

* * *

The abandoned city known as Jonan is like any other abandoned city. Ruined streets and buildings along with the lack of life and a eerie silence, all combining together to conjure a gloomy atmosphere in the ruined city. A group of ten people stood on the rooftop of a building that provides a high view of the city. All of the people, except for one, are wearing black coats with a red interior, a coattail, and a small black cape with a red interior that is attached to the back of their right shoulders. The coats bear the design of the Cainhurst attire and each of them have a silver pellet of a fire breathing salamander. These coats are wore by those of the Arcana family, Claire being amongst them.

Since she is not wearing her Black Winged Hunter outfit, her attire underneath the coat is a simple white blouse, black pants and heeled black boots. She looked out into the city with her arms crossed, seeing a light mist rolling in. "There is a lot of arcane coming from underneath us." The rosy haired woman told the people, seeing the energy with her arcane infused eyes.

"No joke. Explains why father was so hellbent on us getting here as quick as possible." Trish, her twin sister, said as she too can see the energy seeping out of the ground. She too not wearing her Black Winged Hunter outfit, her attire underneath her family's coat is black vest with a white blouse underneath, black shorts with black leather thigh high heeled boots.

"With this much energy, there is no doubt that there is a tomb underneath the city." Said their cousin, Monica, standing beside them with a hand on her hip. She seemed to be slightly shorter than the two. She looks to be in her mid twenties, has a white skin tone, and black hair that reaches down to her shoulders with a bit of red highlights at the end of it. Also a member of the Arcana family, she too has seemingly glowing purple eyes. Her attire underneath her coat is a simple dark gray shirt, black pants, and black leather heeled boots.

"Well, what are we waiting for? An invitation? Let's crack this tomb open and see what we got!" Came the energetic voice of Claire and Trish's younger brother, Jacob, who is in his early twenties. He has short blond hair with a thin beard and a white skin tone like his sisters. His attire underneath his coat is a dark brown vest with a white shirt on underneath, dark gray pants, and black shoes. Jacob gave a childish grin to his sisters and cousin with a cigar in his mouth as he looked out towards the ruined city.

The three women could only sigh at his usual happy-go-lucky behavior. Just then, Claire started to hear the sound of rock music. Following the sound, she caught sight of the only person in the group who is not wearing the Arcana coat, indicating that they are not part of the Arcana family. A young man who looks to be in his early twenties as well, is rocking out with a pair of headphones on. The volume turned up to the max. He has red hair and pale white skin. His attire is a white shirt, black shorts on with a red jacket tied around his waist, and black boots with red soles on the bottom. While rocking out to his music, he is currently holding his hoverboard predicting that it is a guitar.

"Roy" Claire called out to him but he didn't hear her. "Roy!" She yelled out but still no answer. Eventually she walked over and snatched the headphone off of his head.

"OW! Hey, what the hell was that for Cherry Rose?!" Roy glared at her with his dark colored eyes as he rubbed both of his ears. Claire twitched an eyebrow at the sound of her hated nickname. "Don't call me that again Roy. I thought I've made myself clear to you to stay focus on this assignment."

"I'm focus. Can I have my headphones back now?"

"You weren't focus. You were blasting your bloody ears with rock music." Trish said with slight irritation that Roy isn't taking the task seriously.

"Well sorry that I'm not uptight and boring like the rest of you. Except you Jacob, you're pretty cool." Roy said as he reached for his headphones but Claire pulled them away, giving him a glare.

"Aw, thank mate." Jacob said to the young man, sounding proud.

"Excuse me? Uptight and boring? Do you want to rephrase that?" Monica said in a cold tone and a glare.

"Nope. I understand that you guys have a sense of duty because of this conflict between you and the Schnees. But seriously, get laid- OUCH!" Roy is then punched in the back of the head by all three of the women with Jacob trying to hide his laughter.

"Why do we even bother? If he gets mauled by a Beowolf, I'm not helping." Trish said coldly.

"Me? Mauled by a Grimm? Pfft, as if that would happen." Roy said with a smug grin as he emitted a light Grimm mist from his body, indicating that he too has supernatural abilities of a Grimm.

"It's best that you listen to them boy, because a Grimm mauling you is the least of your worries." Came sudden male's voice from behind them. Turning around, Roy and the Arcanas sees a mid-aged man standing a few feet away from them with seven other people standing behind him. The man has a pale white skin tone, white hair and sky blue colored eyes, indicating that he is a Schnee. Unlike the attire of the people behind him, his attire is strongly reminiscent to the original attire of the Executioners. The man, Walter Schnee, looked at Roy and the members of the Arcana family with a look of disgust as he gripped the handle of the Logarius Wheel on his right shoulder.

"Schnees..." Monica said to herself as the group faced them.

"Who the hell are they?" Roy said with confusion on his face, seeing these people in white appear out of nowhere.

"Executioners..." Claire answered his question as she tossed his headphones back to him which he fumbled when trying to catch it. Finally catching the headphones, he let out a breath of relief as he put them around his neck. Claire walked to the front of her party. "What are the Schnee's lap dogs doing all the way out here?"

Walter twitched an eyebrow at Claire's insult. "Thats none of your concern. Vileblood." He said with coldness in his voice as he grip the wheel's handle even more, trying to hold back his rage against the group standing before him.

"Please try to calm down father. We can't kill them just yet." Came Arktis's voice as she walked out from behind her father. "Hello there Arcanas" She greeted with a cheerful smile and tone that came off eerie to Roy.

"Who is this chick?"

"Arktis Schnee. Also known as the 'Snow Woman'" Trish told him.

"Why the hell do they call her that?" Roy asked another question.

"See that sword she has on her left side?" Jacob mentioned the katana in it's sheath on Arktis's side. "It's called Yukianesa which means snow woman. It is said that she forged the blade with the use of ice arcane/Dust. She can lower the surrounding temperature just by unsheathing the thing. A real bugger."

"Because of that, it's considered a special weapon among the Executioners. Just like the blood weapons of the Vilebloods. Chikage: The Bloodedge and the Rakuyo." Monica told him. _'...And that accursed wheel.'_ Her expressions frowned when she looked at the Logarius Wheel that is held by Walter.

"Like the Chikage huh?" Roy said to himself, looking back at the katana on his back.

* * *

In the sky above the city, a bulkhead has entered the perimeter of the ruined city and is currently making it's way towards the location of the two parties. "Tell the retrieval team to stand by." Said one of the pilots of the bulkhead.

"Copy that." Came a male's voice on the comm link.

"Targets confirmed. Shall we make our descent?" The other pilot asked Winter who is sitting at the back with her eyes closed, arms and legs crossed. "No, that's not necessary." She said in a straight tone as she looked out the window, seeing that they're circling around the building were the two groups are standing on top of. Winter can see Claire looking up towards the bulkhead, as if the two are making eye contact from such long distance.

"As always, those Arcanas are nothing but trouble." The Schnee said with slight irritation as she got up from her seat and grabbed her sword, which was leaning against the seat next to her, and walked up to the bulkhead's door.

"Ms. Schnee! Please let us land first!" One of the pilots said with shock when they saw Winter grab the handle of the door. Winter slid the door wide open, air from the outside rushing in which made the pilots tense up when it hit them.

"It's best that the Arcanas are dealt with immediately. The rest of you, stand by until further notice." With that said, she leapt out of the bulkhead, the air rushing past her as she makes her rapid descent. Using her semblance, she created a glyph on the roof in front of the Executioners, allowing her to make a soft landing.

"Whoa... She actually dropped in from the sky." Roy whistled with surprise.

"Talk about a grand entrance." Jacob said as he blow cigar smoke out of his mouth. Winter rose to her feet. "Claire Arcana. Being more of a nuisance and a pain than the last time I saw you."

"Winter Schnee. Your face looks even more awful and uptight than the last time I saw you." Claire replied with a smug grin.

 _'Shit. Both of you look uptight.'_ Roy thought. Arktis pulled out a knife, twirling it between her fingers. "Which Vileblood shall be my playmate?" She said as she tried to decide on someone to fight. "Eenie meenie miney...MO!" She yelled the last part as she suddenly threw the knife straight at Roy.

"What the...!" Roy's eyes widen with shock and surprise, seeing the knife speeding towards him. Using his reflexes, he kicked the knife up into the air and caught. "What the hell is that bitch's problem?!"

"Nice kick and nice catch mate." Jacob chuckled, knowing that when Arktis throws her knife that someone before battle, they are her mark.

Trish couldn't help but laugh. "I wish you the best luck, because you're going to need it."

"What?" Roy raised a eyebrow in confusion.

"Try not to die, okay Roy." Monica chuckled. Winter could only let out a irritated sigh, knowing that Arktis is going to get into her _habits_.

"So..." Claire spoke out. "What are the 'Dogs of the New Church' doing here?"

"You're still calling us that? When will you get it through your thick skulls that our family is no longer the The Healing Church?" Winter said bluntly.

"When will you get it through your thick skulls that our family is not like our ancestors?" Claire replied back in a blunt tone of her own. Both of them not breaking eye contact, purple eyes meeting icy blue.

"Winter" Walter called out to his niece. "There is no point in making conversations with the Vilebloods. We don't know if they have a Pure-blood in the area with them. You know what must be done." With that said, Winter gave a nod. "Executioners! Draw your weapons and raise your spirits!" Winter gave the command as she took charge.

"Oh, its been awhile since I last fought a Vileblood. This is going to be so much fun." Arktis said with excitement clearly in her voice as she unsheathe her Yukianesa. The surrounding temperature began to gradually drop as she pulled out the blue katana blade, glow with a sapphire hue.

Roy can feel the temperature dropping as the coldness seeped into his bones. "So it is like the Chikage but different. Heh, this ought to be interesting." He smirked as he unsheathe his own Chikage from his back. A red katana blade with a revolving gun handle for the hilt.

"We, are the white of purity! We, are the cold steel of punishment! We, are the just sword of righteousness! With blade in hand, we will cleanse the world of corruption! We are Executioners! YOUR END HAS COME!" All of the Executioners shouted in unison, a light blue hue glowing from them.

"Everyone..." Claire said aloud as she cut her thumb along with everyone else. " With blood and flames of scarlet red. Ripped from a body of freshly dead. Together with our Vileblood might. We'll burn you all, that is your plight." All of the Vilebloods said in unison, their eyes turning red.

On another rooftop from afar, Roman watched the ordeal between the two groups through a pair of binoculars. He let out a whistle. "I don't know what the hell is going on for both the Arcanas and the Schnees to be here, but it looks like things are about the heat up." He said with a amused grin on his face. "If I could, I'll stay and watch. But I have to go into this damn tomb before she starts riding my ass again." After letting out a sigh of irritation from the through of Cinder's orders, Roman walked off to complete the task given to him. Moments after he did, an explosion erupted where the two groups are.

* * *

 **AN: Song on youtube: Most Emotional ost's of All Time: Chimu no Jiriki**

Winter bolted out of the smoke, running towards the edge of the rooftop with Claire chasing close behind. Both of them jumped off the rooftop as they began to clash blades. Winter's sword colliding with Claire's Rakuyo in twinblade form.

"You're here for the tomb underneath the city, aren't you? You probably don't have the slightest idea of the capabilities of the relics that are inside there." Winter said with a swipe of her blade, using ice dust to shoot a ice shard at Claire who simply cut it in half. "You're one to talk, Winter."

The two women landed on the streets below and continued fighting. Dodging, blocking, and colliding attacks. The two collided into a deadlock as they locked eye contact, small sparks appearing from their blades. "I say it's high time that we end this feud between us."

"I couldn't have agreed more." Claire replied as she pushed Winter off and leapt back. Winter ran after her with her sword glowing with a blue hue as she pointed it forward. "Let's see you handle this... Claire Arcana!" Winter shouted Claire's name as she trusted her blade forward, using ice Dust to send a glacier of ice at her. Claire let out a calming breath as she brought her Rakuyo down with a vertical slash, creating a wave of fire that collided with the ice, resulting an explosion. Claire bolted through the smoke with her left fist engulfed with flames. "I know you can do better than that, Winter!" She said with a grin as her punch collided with Winter's blade, which she used to block the attack. Claire pushed her fist forward, causing more flames to burst out. Winter can clearly feel the hot air of the flames blowing against her, seeing the fire burning into the ground.

 _'This isn't regular fire...'_ "So this is the Vileblood's Flames of Corruption. I have to say, it's quite impressive." Winter gave her compliment with a smirk as she began to glow a blue hue. "But, however..." Claire gasped as her glowing red eyes widened when she sees this, a huge explosion occurring afterwards.

"Cherry Rose!" Roy shouted as he rides down the street he is on with his hoverboard, seeing the explosion on the next street over. Just then, a barrage of blue glowing knives came flying that him from behind. "Shit!" He shouted as the knives struck the ground around him. "Argh! This persistent ass chick!" He said in irritation as he looked behind him.

"Stop running and play with me!" Arktis shouted with her blade, Yukianesa, in her mouth as she jumped from light post to light post.

"Alright, I'll play with you! But don't start crying when I kick your ass!" Roy shouted as he jumped onto the side of a building with his hoverboard, riding up the wall diagonally towards a large busted window. "Come and get me!" He yelled as he grabbed a pole with his left hand, swung himself through the busted window and into the hallway of the building. Roy gripped the gun handle of his Chikage as he sped down the hallway, the red katana glowing with a scarlet hue. "You wanna fight? Then come over here you crazy bitch!" Roy made his hoverboard turn him around, deflecting another barrage of incoming knives with his Chikage. The instant the barrage ended, Arktis is already in front of him with her blade still in her mouth.

"I like you!" The Executioner said through her teeth with sadistic glee as she kicked him dead in the chest, sending him flying down the hall and through a window. "Come on, entertain me!"

"Heh" Roy grinned, grabbing his hoverboard as he recovered in mid-air. He deflected more knives thrown at him. "Why don't you try something else?!" He said with a cocky grin as he successfully deflected the knives.

The Schnee grabbed the handle of her sword as she took the blade out of her mouth, now running on down the wall. "You're right. How about you freeze. For all eternity!" She shouted as she swiped her blade, creating glaciers of ice coming that the Vileblood.

"Shit!" Roy swore as he used his Flame of Corruption to create a temporarily fire shield to protect him. The ice collied with the fire, resulting an explosion. Roy fell out of the smoke cloud and crashed into the ground, creating a small dust cloud. The moment Arktis landed on the ground, Roy bolted out of the dust cloud emitting a Grimm mist from his body, his red eyes glowing with a scarlet hue along with his Chikage. "Are we done with the fore play?! Good! You better pay attention or you're gonna get hurt!" He shouted as his Chikage collided with Arktis's Yukianesa, the scarlet and blue hues mixing together in a purple color. Roy sent a series of attacks at the Executioner which she blocked. His last attack is a kick to her left side which she simply blocked with ease, but little did she know, Roy didn't just send a kick. The moment she let her guard down on her left side, a afterimage of Roy's kick hit her in the side.

"See! You're not paying attention!" Roy shouted as his semblance, the afterimage, sent the Executioner sliding and crashed into a nearby wall. Arktis began to chuckle which eventually turned into sadistic laughter. When the dust cleared, it showed her standing there is a excited smile, a dark aura of wrathful malice emitting from her body "Oh I LOVE fighting Vilebloods!"

* * *

In another nearby area of the city, the rest of the Arcanas and Schnees continued on with their fight. The sounds of their conflict echoing throughout the city.

"Hold still dammit!" Walter shouted as he ran at Jacob with his Logarious Wheel. Jacob ducked and dodged Walter's attack with a grin on his face as he let out a whistle. "For someone who lugs around a giant wheel, you're pretty fast." He said as he jumped back to avoid a downward attack from Walter which smashed and grounded the ground. Jacob ran towards him with child-like glee, his red eyes glowing with a scarlet hue as his right fist became engulfed in flames. "Woo! You're getting me pumped up mate!" He threw the punch at the Executioner, who blocked it with his wheel.

"Don't get carried away with me, Vileblood!" Walter said with malice in his voice as he pushed Jacob away.

"Stop provoking him Jacob! You're fighting a Executioner, remember?!" Trish shouted at her brother as she took two Executioners.

"I wager that you can't hit my sister!" Jacob taunted the Executioners as the they tried to land an attack on his sister.

"STOP IT!" Trish yelled that him as she took on the two Schnees with her Blade of Mercy split into two blades. She ducked a sword swipe from one the Executioners as her cousin, Monica, jumped over her and kicked the Schnee in the chest, causing them to stumble back. With her Thread Cane in her right hand, Monica went for the kill but is intercepted by the second Executioner who blocked the attack with their sword, resulting a deadlock.

"Hmph" Monica breaks the deadlock by pressing a button on her Thread Cane, transforming it into a bladed whip and caused the Executioner to stumble off balance as they pass by her. With that, Monica spun around and whipped the Schnee in the back with the bladed whip causing an agonizing scream of pain. Without a second thought, Monica kicked them right in the back, kicking the open wound and causing them to fall to the ground in pain.

"You damn Vilebloods!" Walter said with malice still in his voice as he transformed the wheel, a dark aura of wrathful malice emit from his body along with the wheel. "You Vilebloods are nothing but abominations! All you will bring is tragedy and corruption, which will eventually sicken Remnant!"

"You know? You Schnees aren't goody-goodies two shoes yourselves, you're just like The Church." Jacob told the enraged Executioners. "Well...minus the horrific human experimentations and other atrocious acts. If memory serves, you too have connections to the 'underworld', right? Looks like we're in the same bout here."

With a angry shout, Walter spun the wheel causing the aura to emit from it even more as he slammed it into the ground, creating a powerful shockwave coming at them. Simultaneously, the three Arcanas used their art of quicken to evaded the shockwave as it strikes a nearby building, causing it to collapses.

Jacob let out a whistle with a surprised expression. "They can do that? That's some fire power."

"If they're going to pull out the big guns, so should we." Trish said as her body started to emit a Grimm mist. Jacob began to chuckle. "Now we can get serious." He said as he too started to emit a Grimm mist along with Monica. The rest of their family members stood behind them as they readied themselves. Walter and the rest of the Schnees readied themselves as well. _'What in the devil is that?'_ Walter thought with a slight look of shock on his face when he sees the mist coming from the three Arcanas.

Just then, the wall of a nearby building exploded with a small dust cloud. Roy jumped out of the dust cloud just in time to avoid a barrage of knives coming out from behind him. Soon after, Arktis jumped out of the dust cloud in a acrobatic flip."What's wrong? I want to play more!" She shouted as she sent glaciers of ice down the side of the building at Roy as he is falling.

Roy growled in frustration as he landed on top of a light post and jump off before the glacier could get to him. Now riding his hoverboard, Roy sped away from the building and towards his group. Thats when Arktis landed a few feet in front of him. "Nah-uh-uh." She said waving her finger. "We're not done yet."

"Outta my way dammit!" Roy yelled as he speeds towards her. The two of them clashed blades as they passed each other but soon after, Arktis kicked Roy in the side of the face, sending him rolling across the ground to his group. "Grr. That damn..." Roy growled as he got back on his feet. "Now the gloves come off." He said as his body began to emit a Grimm mist. His eyes turning black & red and his teeth starting to become fangs.

"Calm down Roy. She wants you to get aggravate." Monica told the young Vileblood.

"...And shes doing a damn good job at it!" Roy said with anger clearly in his voice.

Arktis stood beside her father and family members with an entertained smile on her face as they stood off against the Arcanas, plus Roy, once again.

"Alright lads! Let's charge in and hit'em hard with everything we got!" Jacob said in his usual energetic tone as a fist pond, which caused Trish to shake he head and Monica to sigh.

"You're relentless..." Is all Trish said to her brother's attitude.

"That relentlessness will see me become head of the family someday." Jacob said with a cheeky grin.

"Father will never do anything of the sort. Everything that our family has build and achieved will collapse under your control." Trish said blunt and coldly.

Jacob winced at the coldness in his sister's tone. "Harsh words dear sister."

* * *

On the rooftop of one of the nearby buildings, Claire and Winter continued with their fight until they eventually stopped, standing a few feet away from each other.

"It seems...you haven't lost...your touch." Winter slightly panted.

"I'll say the same...for you." Claire panted as well, trying to catch her breath. "Executioners know how to keep their own in top form."

With that comment given, Winter pressed a button on the hilt of her sword causing the hilt to slide open, revealing a second hilt within it. Pulling the second hilt out, it revealed to be parrying dagger which she holds in her left hand, now duel wielding. "This is where our feud ends, Claire." Winter said as she began to emit the wrathful aura of the Executioners.

Claire raised an eyebrow at this and chuckled. "Do you really want to go this route, Winter?"

The rosy haired woman smirked as she held her Rakuyo with two hands, emitting a Grimm mist from her body. She split the twinblade into two blades, the saber part of the Rakuyo in her right hand and the dagger part in her left. "My sword..." She said the phrase as she cut her thumbs on both blades. She winced a little in pain as the Rakuyo drank the blood her sacrificed to it. Just like it's sister weapon, the Chikage.

Winter now has a wide eyed expression of shock on her face. It's not because Claire is using blood weapons. What has her shocked is the black and red mist emitting from Claire's body, something about it doesn't feel normal. "Claire, what is...?"

"Time does change us, right Winter?" Claire said with a smirk as she readied herself, so did Winter who grit her teeth. Just then, the ground underneath the area that they are in began to shake violently.

"What?" Winter looked around as if looking for the cause of the violent shaking.

"What is...?" Claire looked around as well. "Winter, what did you all do?"

"What makes you think we did something?! I should ask you the same question."

"I assure you that this is not our doing."

Soon after those exchange of words, a large explosion erupted from the ground where the two groups are below, the force knocking them all back. "WHAT?!" Both of the women shouted in unison when they caught sight of the explosion.

Trish, with her vision blurred and ears ringing, sat up on the ground where she is. "What...the bloody..." The blond placed her hand on the right side of her head only to find out that she is bleeding a little. Naturally, seeing the blood on her hand made her Vileblood side stir, but she shook it off. Looking around, she sees that the rest of her family members, plus Roy, are also recovering,

When the smoke cleared, it revealed a large hole that has been blown into the ground. Soon after, a unknown Bulkhead comes hovering in over the large hole. Four cables reached down into the hole, pulling up a large metal storage container and on top of the container stood Roman Torchwick and a few members of the White Fang.

"Roman!" Claire shouted when she saw his face.

"What? The fight is over already? From down below it sounded like it was getting good." Roman said to the large group of people.

"What the hell are you doing here?!" Walter also shouted that the criminal. Roman smirked. "Take a wild guess buddy."

Monica looked the storage container he is standing on, wondering on what could be inside. At that moment, the idea of what could be in the container made her gasp. "Wait? Don't tell me he...?"

"Hey! Looks like someones taken a guess." Roman grinned. "While you guys were having your little brawl, I decided to slip in and take the prize for myself."

"You have Dust in the container, don't you?!" Winter yelled, knowing that Roman is known for collecting and stealing Dust from her family. Roman placed his hand on his face as he began to chuckle."Oh I wish this were Dust. I wish."

"He wishes...?" Winter said to herself. "If it's not Dust then- No..." Without a second though, Winter took out her scroll to contract the retrieval team that is on standby. "Retrieval team..." Winter spoke into the scroll, but didn't get a respond. Instead, all she got is static. "Retrieval team, respond!"

"It's no use Winter." Claire told the Schnee.

"Oh, you don't have to worry about your little friends. They won't be coming anytime soon." Roman said as the Bulkhead started to ascend, taking the storage container with it.

* * *

 **AN: As for Arktis's name, it means arctic in German. Since the words weiss and schnee are German words, white and snow translated in English, I wanted to stick with the Schnee theme.**

 **As for the fire with the Arcanas, aka Vilebloods. I just want you all to know that I didn't horseshoe that in for content. I just gave it a name that fits The Vileblood's reputation. Fire is actually linked with The Vilebloods. Remember when Maria used fire against you during her boss fight? That's actually one of their traits, which is another reason why I made Yang a Vileblood, well a half-blood. There are also hints of this in Cainhurst Castle. Anyway please Fav or Follow. It'll mean a lot to see that. I'll see you in chapter 10.**


	10. RWBY vs KREL

**AN: Hey everyone, I'm back with another chapter. Before you read, I just want to inform you that this chapter had to be cut into two parts. I try to keep my chapters under a 10k word count but it sometimes goes beyond that. I've already threw two chapters with a 16k word count at you guys and I don't want to do that again. Even though people say that there is no limit.**

 **So this chapter and the next chapter will build a bit on character relations and reveal things that will be used in the story. Also for a bit a heads up, the second part will be posted pretty earlier but not right away. So we can get to the chapter that was meant to be chapter 11.**

 **Anyway, I hope you enjoy.**

* * *

"These are the five you mentioned last week, correct?" Ozpin, sitting in his chair, asked Hope who is standing in front of his desk within his office. On Ozpin's desk is a hologram screen displaying the pictures of Kazato, Rize, Elisa, Yang, and lastly, Ruby.

"Yes sir. Those are the ones." Hope gave an confirming nod as she spoke. "I apologize that it took me this long to get to you about this. I wanted to observe these five more closely before making any assumptions. Being a Cursed Hunter myself, I was able to confirm the first three."

"I'm already well aware of those three." Ozpin told her while looking at the pictures of the Cainhurst siblings.

"Then there is the fourth one." Hope pointed towards the picture of Yang. "Her scent is like the first three but it seems to be very faint compared to them. I think her supernatural abilities are lying dormant."

Ozpin raised an eyebrow as he brought his attention to Yang's picture. "Dormant? You believe that shes a Cursed Hunter as well?" He asked which the Silver haired woman gave a confident nod. "I'm certain." She answered. The more Ozpin looked that Yang's picture, the more he realized that shes look a lot like Raven, who he knows is also a Cursed Hunter. _'She may be a natural born...'_

"Lastly..." Hope said, regaining Ozpin's attention. "Is the fifth and last one that still boggles my mind." Both of their gazes are now on the picture of Ruby. "The moonscent I picked up from her is...well...unique. It's a lot stronger than the other four, a lot stronger than any other Cursed Hunter I've met so far."

Ozpin raised another eyebrow of curiosity. "I'm assuming that it's because shes a Silver-eyed Hunter."

"Maybe" Hope shrugged her shoulders. "I've heard about the Silver-eyed Hunters and what happened to them. This is my first time seeing a Silver-eyed Hunter, so I not sure. Speaking of which, is that why you took her into your school despite her being two years behind the other students?"

"Shes the last of her kind Ms. Valentine." Ozpin told her. "Aside from the Cursed Hunters, it was also her kind that stopped the previous Nightmare from swallowing Remnant. With that said, surely you understand what will happen if certain _individuals_ find out that one is still alive."

Hope's expression frowned a little. "I've heard about the Nightmare from other Hunters and I've never seen it before. I hope I never will."

"Believe me when I say Ms. Valentine, that you do not want to." Ozpin told her, his expression turning a bit grim due to the memories of 'The Hunt' still fresh in his mind. Just then, a red and black portal suddenly opened up in the middle of the office, causing Hope to instantly gasp. "It seems that my next guest has arrived." Ozpin said with no hint of surprise or shock in his voice.

Soon after the portal opened, Scarlet casually stepped out, making her appearance in front of the two. "Hey there Ozzy. Sorry to have kept you waiting." The Vileblood said in her usual alluring voice.

"I take it that you had a bit of a detour Ms. Cainhurst?" Ozpin asked the woman.

Scarlet closed her eyes as she rubbed the back of her head with a cheeky smile and nervous laughter. "Hehehe. YYYeah, I may have made a few stops." Hope silently examined the long raven haired woman standing next to her. _'Cainhurst... That name sounds familiar.'_ She thought as she looked at her attire, realizing the black crow feathered hooded cloak. "You're...a Black Winged Hunter, are you?"

Scarlet made eye contact with the silver haired woman, scarlet red meeting emerald green. "Indeed I am. Judging by your scent, you're a Cursed Hunter as well." The Vileblood extended out her hand to the woman. "I'm Scarlet. Scarlet Alkeldama Cainhurst. You must be one of our members from Atlas."

Hope's eyes widened with surprise as she slowly shook Scarlet's hand. _'She knows about me?'_ "Scarlet?! Y-You're...The Blood Crow of the brotherhood?" Hope called her by the nickname she is known by.

"Yeah thats what they call me now a days."

"Ms. Valentine..." Ozpin called out to the woman, regaining her attention. "You can return to your class. I need to speak with Ms. Cainhurst."

"Y-Yes sir, of course." Hope said with a respectful bow before entering the elevator and exiting the room.

"Any luck on your investigation Ms. Cainhurst?" Ozpin asked the queen as she walked up to his desk.

"Yeah, about that..." She started as she began to rub the back of her head again. "It's hard to hunt someone without any leads or a trail to follow, nothing but dead ends." She then brought her attention to the hologram screen on Ozpin's desk, seeing the pictures of her kids.

A warm smile appeared on her face upon seeing them. "Hey, why are my babies on display? Are they giving you trouble Ozzy?"

"No, not at all. Like many other students, they've shown that they can become promising hunters." He replied as he pressed a button on his desk causing the hologram to deactivate. Just before the screen disappeared, Scarlet caught a glimpse of Ruby and Yang's pictures. "Hmm..." She then brought her attention back to Ozpin "How about your investigation? Any luck?" Scarlet asked the headmaster which he shook his head in response. "Unfortunately we're coming up empty handed as well."

"Oh boy..." Scarlet sighed as she put her hand on her hip. "At this rate, we're never gonna get anywhere."

Ozpin let out a sigh as well as he rested his elbows on his desk, locking his fingers together, and rested his forehead on top of his heads. He knows what Scarlet says is true, but what can they do? Ozpin have been collaborating with the brotherhood for the past week and even with their combined efforts, they still can't get one solid lead. "First, the Fall Maiden is attacked. And now the Arcana's portion of the medium is stolen. Not to mention that the happening of both events are too close together."

"Exactly. They're too damn close. It could be most likely that it's the same culprit." Scarlet said with her left hand still on her hip and her chin between her right thumb an index finger, thinking hard on the situation. "Things were already bad enough when Summer suddenly went missing and now this. Speaking of the medium, are you sure it is a wise idea to keep your portion here at the school?"

Ozpin looked up at her. "I thought we were over this Scarlet." He called her by her first name. "Beacon is not just a school. It is also a fortress, secured with the most well-trained huntsmen and huntresses that this kingdom has. I assure you that my portion is secured."

Scarlet let's out a small chuckle. "Hell, the Arcana's portion was well secured by a family of hunters and assassins, yet someone slipped past them and took it."

Ozpin raised an eyebrow. "I'm assuming that the brotherhood knows a more effective method in securing their portion?"

"Look Ozpin..." Scarlet sighed as she said his name correctly. "I'm not trying to criticize your decision making, I'm just worried. If someone is able to slip pass the Arcana family and take their portion, I can't help but imagine what might happen if and when Beacon is targeted. Even though it acts as a fortress, bottom line it is a school filled with students, children. We, the brotherhood, have children of our own. And we know that keeping our portion with us will endanger them, so we're currently making countermeasures to ensure the safety of our village. The only differences between Beacon and Dusk Haven is that only a hand full of people know that the village exist and it's not a place that you can just stumble upon. For someone to find out about it's exists, they must have done a lot of digging and searching."

"So you're implying that since my school is known through out Remnant, all it'll take is someone finding out that I have a portion?" Ozpin asked her in which the Vileblood nod as a response. "Just like with the Arcanas."

"I understand the reason behind your worries, but its best that we keep our shares close to us as possible. It's our best option." Ozpin told her.

"More like our only option." Scarlet said as she rubbed the back of her head. "These other individuals you're working with. Your allies. Are they aware of the Nightmare's existence?"

"They are not. The attack on the Fall Maiden already has everyone on edge. Finding the right time to inform them about this has proven to be difficult."

"Well, they have to know some time soon. Well Ozzy, I'm off. Back to working by my lonesome self." Scarlet said as she turn to walk away from the desk.

 _'Shes right. I can't hide it forever.'_ Ozpin thought before speaking out the queen. "You said that you're working alone. I may have someone who you can collaborate with." This caused Scarlet to stop in her tracks and look over her shoulder at the headmaster with a raise eyebrow.

"Really? Do tell." The Vileblood said as she turned around to face him, interest clearly in her voice. "Who do you have to work with little ol'me?"

"He is an informant of mine who is currently tracking down the Fall Maiden's assailants. He can be a rather... _difficult_ individual to work with, but he is reliable. He tends to work by himself and he moves around within the criminal underworld, so finding him can be tricky."

"Oh, don't worry about that. Just tell me his name and give me a picture of him, then leave the hunting to me."

* * *

"Ruby, you have to keep your concentration at all times or you'll never get it!" Weiss scolded the silver-eyed girl who is standing a few feet away from a tree in front of her. Under the supervision of Glynda Goodwitch, the students are currently training on how to use their aura in other effectives way within one of the school's outdoor arenas that provide a wooded landscape.

"That's easy for you to say. I've never done this before." Ruby replied back to the heiress with a bit of a wining tone in her voice. The class is currently learning how to use their aura to allow them to stand on surfaces such as walls and trees. Well, it's mostly for those that don't know how to. Since the class's teacher, Professor Alexander Clark, still hasn't fully recovered from his sickness, Glynda agreed to assist Hope with the class's aura training.

"It's only as hard as you make it Ruby." Blake told her young team leader. "Once you've focused your aura to the bottom of your feet, don't lose concentration even if you starting running up the trunk of the tree. If you do, you'll fall."

"I know that you're trying to help Weiss, but don't you think that you're being a little strict on her?" Yang asked the heiress.

"In cases like this, being strict is totally necessary." Weiss told the brawler before giving her a look, noticing that she has stopped training . "By the way, are you trying to learn this as well? I don't see you practicing."

Yang looked away to avoid making eye contact with the heiress as she runs a hand through her hair, knowing that the Schnee could get on her case at any moment. "I'm getting the hang of it."

"Alright Ruby. Let's try this again." Blake told the silver-eyed girl as she brought her attention back to her. "Remember, if your aura is too weak you won't stick to the tree. If it's too strong, you'll end up breaking off the bark. You have to keep it in between." Doing as Blake instructed, Ruby closed her eyes and let out a deep breath before trying to concentrate again. The rest of Team RWBY watched as Ruby's aura began to become visible. Her rose colored aura flowed from her body as it began to travel to the bottom of her feet.

"Okay, I'm ready." Rudy said as she readied herself.

"Remember what I said, maintain your focus." Weiss told the girl before she took off towards the tree.

"You can do it Ruby!" Yang cheered her sister on. When Ruby's right foot touched the trunk of the tree, she felt as if the bottom her foot is a powerful magnet as it stayed in place to allow her to get her other foot off the ground. With that, Ruby is now running up along the tree with her aura allowing her to stay attached to it.

"She's got it!" Weiss shouted with surprise and amazement clearly in her voice.

"You're doing it Ruby!" Yang cheered once more, seeing her little sister managing herself pretty well.

Ruby gasped from the realization her own progress, seeing what she is doing. "I am doing it..." Just as soon as those words left her mouth, Ruby's foot slipped, causing her to complete lose focus of her aura. Ruby gasped again but this time obviously with horror as her silver eyes widened.

"...And she's lost it." Blake stated Ruby's slip up.

"SOMEBODY CATCH ME!" Rudy yelled as she began plummeting towards the ground below. The silver-eyed girl closed her eyes tight, waiting for the painful impact to come. The moment she closed her eyes, she feels herself land into a pair of arms, catching her. "Who...?" Ruby opened her eyes only to make eye contact with the lilac colored eyes of her sister, who is holding her bridal style.

"That was a little too close for comfort there Rub." Yang gave her sister grin as she sat her down. Ruby let out a breath of relief as her feet touched the solid ground underneath her. "Thanks Yang." Her moment of relief is short lived when Weiss approached the two with a very unpleased looked.

"Ruby, what did I just tell you!" Weiss began to scold her again. "You have to maintain your focus at all times! You could've hurt yourself or worse!" Weiss let out a sigh of frustration as she pinched the bridge of her nose. _'She's suppose to be our team leader but she can't even do the basics.! Along that, she goofs in class! I wonder how she, of all people, got picked instead of me?!'_

"I'm sorry that I slipped up. I don't know what happened." Ruby began to apologize to the frustrated Schnee.

"I can tell you what happened." Blake spoke up, gaining Ruby's attention. "You became surprised that you finally managed to anchor yourself to the tree, but you lost focus which is why you fell." The fanus told her bluntly.

"Geez guys, she managed to get a decent ways up the tree. Could you at least cut her some slack?" Yang told the two with a hand on her hip.

"You do realize that if you hadn't caught her, she could've broken her neck." Blake told the brawler with the same blunt tone. Ruby's eyes grew with a look of terror as she swallowed. Yang on the other hand let out a sigh before backing off, just this once. "Alright. Just make sure she doesn't hurt herself." With that said, she walked off to resume her own aura training.

"Uh...Yang?" Ruby looked back at her sister before Weiss pulled her back by her hood. "We're not done with you yet."

As Yang walked away from her team, she scanned the outdoor arena for any trees that are not occupied by other students. While scanning, she spotted a nearby tree that she can resume her training with. But right next to the tree, she can see someone lying under it. Due to her heightened eyesight, she is able to see who it is from a distance. Under the tree, she sees Kazato lying down with his hands behind his head.

"Hey, it's that guy again." She said to herself when she sees him lying under the tree. _'Come to think of it. I still haven't thanked him for looking after Ruby during the exam. I'm gonna go say a quick hello.'_ With that thought in mind, the brawler made her way over to the tree where Kazato is lying under. When she approached him, she noticed that his eyes are closed and a textbook, which is opened, is resting on top of his chest. "Is he seriously sleeping during class?" Yang raised an eyebrow, seeing the textbook gently raising up on his chest before going back down.

Kazato's face twitched a little as he awoke. Instead of feeling the warm rays of the sun shining on his face, which put him to sleep, he now feels the slight coldness of someone's or somethings shadow blocking the sunlight. "Who's blocking my light now?" He groaned with a bit of irritation in his voice as he awoke up from his nap. "Elisa? Rize? Or is it you Lucilia?" He called out the names of the girls, thinking that the vibe he is sensing is from one of them.

"Nope. Guess again." Yang replied to the napping Vileblood.

"Huh?" Kazato opened his eyes to see Yang standing a couple of feet away him. "Oh? You're that chick." _'The vibe came from her?'_ He thought, but he pushed it to the side to elaborate on later.

"You're looking pretty comfy down there. I'm surprise that Ms. Goodwitch hasn't gotten on you yet."

"Yeah, well if you already know how to do the stuff the teachers are teaching, then they won't bother you. It gives me time to get some studying in." Kazato mentioned to the textbook he has as he sat up.

"By sleeping under a tree?" Yang chuckled with a raised eyebrow.

"Hey. Try lying out in the sun for a few minutes, you'll sleep like a baby."

"I'll be sure to keep that in mind when I'm looking for a place to relax." The brawler replied as she watched him get up and stretch, letting out a yawn as he did. "We never did tell each other our names, didn't we? I'm Yang. Yang Xiao Long." Yang re-introduced herself as she extended out her hand to the young man.

"Kazato. Kazato Cainhurst." He told her his name in return as he shook her hand. "Yang huh? Oh, I remember now. You're Ruby's sister, right?" He asked with caused a slight look of surprise to appear on Yang's face. "You already knew about me?" She asked as they let go of each others hand.

"Rub told me a little bit about you when we were together in the forest. I remember her telling me how her _sister_ ditched her in front of the school." The young man mentioned which made the brawler slightly wince with a nervous laugh as she began to rub the back of her head.

"Yeah, well..." Yang started to trail off. Kazato let out a snickered. "Some older sibling you are."

"Hey, you're one to talk." Yang pointed a finger that him. "If I remember correctly. After you grabbed my shoulder, you outright hit one of your sisters for ditching you in front of the school too."

"Okay. First, I apologize for grabbing your shoulder. I really thought that you were my youngest sister. Second, the one that I hit, Rize, deserved it. Shes like a ghost. Always vanishing on me without warning." Kazato said with his arms crossed.

Yang put her hand on her hip. "Well I guess you deserved the nut shot she gave you later."

A look of surprise instantly appeared on Kazato's face when she mentioned about Rize kneeing him in the groin. "Wait? How did you find out about that?"

Yang smirked. "Elisa is your youngest sister, right. She told me about it recently. Sounded like Rize got you good. I like how she thinks."

"Argh! Dammit puppy!" Kazato said Elisa's nickname in irritation.

"Why do you guys call her by that nickname anyway?"

"Do you have a dog or a puppy at home?" Kazato asked her.

"I do" Yang raised an eyebrow as she tilted her head to the side, crossing her arms.

"Is he or she always full of energy and has a short attention span?"

"Full of energy? Yes. Short attention span? Hmm, sometimes, but yes. So thats why you call her that? Shes like a little puppy?" Yang asked which Kazato nodded in response.

"I understand the energetic part, but she doesn't seem to have a short attention span to me." The brawler added in. Kazato gave a small laugh. "Oh, just wait and see. Do you have any nicknames for Ruby?"

"No, not at the moment I don't." Yang shook her head. "I'm still thinking of one. I thought about calling her puppy eyes a one time."

"Puppy eyes?" Kazato chuckled while raising an eyebrow.

"When she gets sad or begs for something, you'll see." Yang snickered, the image of Ruby's puppy eye look in her mind.

"You know..." Kazato began to grin. "While we're on the nickname subject, I actually came up with a nickname for you. Well, based on what I've seen from your semblance."

"A nickname? For me?" Yang raised another eyebrow as she tilted her head slight.

Kazato began to rub the back of his head as he looked way, feeling a little weird that he even mentioned it. "Yeah but I rather hold off on it. I don't want to seem that I'm getting too familiar. I mean, besides the occasional word exchanges. This IS our first actual conversation."

Yang let out a small giggle to herself seeing the awkwardness on Kazato's face. "Sure, why not throw in a few nicknames. We gonna become familiar with each other eventually, right? So shoot."

"Well, okay..." Kazato took a breath before continuing. "Since your semblance apparently let's you take damage and dish it back. I thought of...Tank."

"Tank?" Yang gave a slightly confused look.

"You said that you use to play Remnant Online, right? Do you remember the tank role?

"Oooh. I get it now." Yang nod her head, remembering the purpose of a tank role in the RPGMMO game. Normally grabbing the enemy's or boss's attention and taking the most damage for the rest of the party. "So in your eyes, I'm like the tank of my team."

"Yup. Weiss being the magic user. Ruby and Blake being DPSs. I thought of some other names since you also bust out the flames when you fight. I thought of Fire Queen or Phoenix, but I was a little iffy on those. The name Hothead came to mind, but-"

"No, don't use that one." Yang cut him off after hearing the name. Kazato responded with a 'huh?' expression on his face. "It's something my dad always calls me. Anyway, it's my turn to come up with a nickname for you."

Kazato put on a smirk as he crossed his arm. "Alright. Give it your best shot."

Yang put her chin between her right thumb and index finger as she began to analyze the young man standing in front of her, remembering what little she knows about him. _"Hmm. He came up with three nicknames based on my semblance and fire. In that case...'_ With that thought in mind, Yang snapped her finger upon coming up with a nickname. "I have just the perfect nickname for you." She said with a cheeky grin on her face.

"Alright. Let's hear it." Kazato said.

"Ashtray." She said with a snicker.

"Ashtray?" Kazato blinked with slight confusion. "Wait a minute! Don't tell me you..."

"Yup" Yang said the word popping the 'p' at the end. "Since your semblance let's you create ash, you're a walking ashtray to me."

"Go find a building or something to burn down Fire Queen." Kazato called her by one of the nicknames he has for her.

"Only if you'll be there to clean up the ashes Ashtray." Yang gave a wink. The two began snickering at each other which eventually turned into laughter. "Anyway..." Yang recovered herself from her laughter. "I came here because I wanted to thank you for looking after Ruby for me. She told me everything that happened. About the dungeon. Where that skeleton monster came from. I would've lost my mind if something happened to her."

"I understand you there. I would go insane if something happened to my sisters."

"Speaking of which. Where is your team?" Yang asked him, causing Kazato to beginning scanning the wooded arena. "They're...uh..."

At that time, Hope had returned from Ozpin's office and is exchanging words with Glynda. After receiving a nod of approval from Glynda, Hope spoke aloud to the class. "Attention class!" She yelled to make sure she gains all of their attention. "Ms. Goodwitch and I have decided to end the class with a quick 4-on-4 sparring session. All teams, please follow us to the school's newly installed arena." With that said, the two women walked off leading the class.

"I have to get back to my team. I'll catch you later, okay?" Yang told the young man as she started to walk back to her team.

"Yeah, catch ya later Tank." Kazato gave the brawler a two-fingered salute. Yang looked back at Kazato as she is walking and made a gesture as if she is puffing out smoke from her mouth, mimicking his semblance.

Just then, Kazato felt someone lightly karate chop him in back of the head. "I see that you finally woken up from your nap." Came Rize's voice as she walked up beside her brother.

"Where have you been?" He asked his sister without looking at her.

Rize gave a sigh. "All I have to say is that Lucilia truly is Claire's sister. That head strong and determined personally does run in the Arcana family. Despite Elisa and I already knowing how to do this, she still made us practice."

"What? Your's and Elisa's can't match her's?" Kazato raised an eyebrow which Rize gave him a look in return. "Shes an Arcana! Shes like her sister! You better step up your game or else Professor Ozpin might resign her as leader of the team."

Kazato's expression frowned. "Look, I'm trying to get use to this leadership role, okay? Now come on. Let's find the rest of our team."

* * *

Following Glynda and Hope, the class is lead to a large room dimly lit by security lights. As they all walked in, the motion sensors detected their movements therefore turning on lights that gave a bit more lighting to the room but the area is still a little dim. The students noticed numerous rows of seats on their left and right as they walked down the staircases of one of the aisles. At the bottom of the staircase, are large glass windows that circled a large arena that lies below. Upon seeing the arena, right off the bat the students noticed something completely different about this arena.

Unlike the other arenas in the school, this one has a metallic futuristic look to it. The arena's walls and floor are made for a black metallic colored metal with green glowing lines that runs out from the center of the arena. Bickering can be heard from the class as they gazed upon this never-before-seen arena.

"Wait a minute..." Weiss said as she walked up the glass window in front of her and placed her hand on it. "Is this a..." Hope gave her a confirming nod before the question is asked. Since both of them are from Atlas, they already know about the particular arena. "Class. Say hello to the state-of the-art Atlas technology. The world's first simulation arena!" Hope announced proudly as she introduced the arena.

"Simulation?" Jaune said with a raised eyebrow.

"This arena will generate and place you into a virtual environment." Glynda began to tell the class. "There is more to hunting than tracking your prey and confronting it. You must always consider the possibility that you're being hunted as well. You must constantly be aware of you immediate surroundings."

"Just like what the hunters told us." Elisa said in a low tone to her team who only gave a nod in response as they listened to Glynda.

"This arena is actually a prototype." Hope told the class. "Beacon, along with the other schools, are given this to record the simulation's performs as data for the final product that will be used for the up and coming Vytal Festival."

"The Vytal Festival?" Ruby said with a small gasp, knowing that the Vytal Festival is the biggest festival in Remnant and is the celebration of the anniversary of when the peace treaty was made between the Kingdoms.

"If it shows good results, it'll certainly replace the arena that is usually used for the festival. Now..." Hope's emerald green eyes began to glow as she activated her semblance to interface with the arena's system. "As I said earlier, this will be a 4-on-4 sparring match. So let's see what teams will be facing each other." With that said, a green hologram screen appears shuffling various pictures of students. Eventually, the faces of Ruby, Weiss, Blake, and Yang appeared on the screen. "Looks like we have Team RWBY, and they are against..." Sooner after Hope's words, the faces of Kazato, Rize, Elisa, and Lucilia appeared as well, sealing the match up. "Team RWBY vs. Team KREL!"

"We're against Kazato's team?" Ruby gasped with slight surprise.

"Looks like it." Yang said as she looked over to the opposing team's leader. "Lucky you. You get to see how we handle things first hand." She said with a fist pound and a cheeky grin.

Kazato let out a small laugh. "Don't get ahead of yourself. You have to test the waters first. Right guys?" Kazato said to his team.

"Uh-huh" Rize nodded with her arms crossed. Elisa pounded her fist into the palm of her hand and cracked her knuckles as she looked towards Yang. "You're my mark in this match. I've been itching to fight you."

Hearing those words put a big smile on Yang's face with a look of determination in her eyes. "Then I'll do the honors of scratching that itch." She cracked her knuckles as well. Lucilia didn't bother responding to Kazato due to her and Weiss exchanging glaring looks.

* * *

Upon stepping out onto the field, the two teams gazed in awe at the sheer size of this highly advanced arena. It looks a lot bigger than what it seems from above. "Alright teams! Time to set the playing field!" Hope spoke through the intercom as another hologram screen appeared, scrolling with various environments from the different Kingdoms. The screen stopped on a great forest area, deciding the setting for the match. "We have the Great Shrouded Wood!"

Immediately, the green lines on the arena's floor began to grow even brighter underneath the team's feet, gaining a few gasps and startled jumps. The world around the teams began to change. The simulator began constructing a ginormous forest landscape onto the field. Ruby and her team gawked in awe at the environment they are suddenly in. The sheer size and dizzying height of the forest's partially moss covered trees are rather breath taking. A thin fog also lingers within the forest and there is are small amounts of sunlight shining in, giving little illumination and a dim look. But the one thing that Team RWBY noticed the most is the chilliness of the forest's cold, damp air. The arena must also have it's own weather control system.

Blake placed her hand on the gigantic root, which is sticking out from the ground, of one of the trees. To add on to her surprise and amazement of the this new technology, the root is ACTUALLY solid. Along with that, she can also feel the cold moisture of the tree bark against the palm of her hand. "It's...real?"

"It's like we're not even in Beacon anymore." Ruby said with surprise still in her voice. Weiss only smirked at everyone's reactions. "As expected from state-of the-art Atlas technology."

"Alright guys." Yang spoke aloud to gain her team's attention. "We can finish being amazed about this later. Right now, Kazato's team is probably already on the move. So, what's the plan Ruby?" Every eye on the team is now looking towards their leader.

"Hm" Ruby took a minute to think as she analyzed their surroundings. "Well, we're in a forest for starters. Ms. Goodwitch said that we have to be aware of our surroundings. And seeing that we're not facing with the other team right away, we have to find them. So..." Ruby looked up towards a nearby tree branch. "Hey Blake, since you're the most agile of our team. You can keep an eye out from above on the trees." She said pointing up towards the tree branches. "You should be able to see them coming from that height. If we're quiet enough, we might catch them by surprise."

"Right" Blake received Ruby's order as she jumps on top of one of the gigantic tree roots and runs up the tree trunk until she reached a branch that is a high enough height.

"Weiss and Yang. You two stay on the ground."

"Got it" Yang responded to her sister's order.

"What about you?" Weiss asked the silver-eyed girl, since she never did tell them what she'll be doing. Ruby looked up towards another nearby tree branch. "Yang. You think you can throw me up there?" She asked her sister as she drew out her Crescent Rose in scythe form and held it in reverse.

Yang looked up towards the branch her sister is looking at. "Heh, can I?" She chuckled as she positioned herself, mustering strength in her right arm as she held it out. Ruby jumped onto the brawler's arm and landed with both feet. The moment Ruby landed on her arm, Yang gave a mighty throw which sent Ruby rocketing through the cool damp air. Pulling the trigger on her sniper scythe, Ruby used the recoil to give her an extra boost to reach the tree branch, which she landed safely on.

After the brawler and the heiress received an thumbs up from their young leader, Team RWBY proceeded on to hunt their targets.

* * *

Team KREL is currently freerunning and jumping from tree branch to tree branch as they all moved close together. The four of them stopped on a tree branch to take another look of their surrounds.

Elisa stretched out her arms and took a deep breath of the cool forest air before sighing in relief. "Ah! Smells and feels just like home."

"Home?" Lucilia asked with a raised eyebrow.

"The simulator generated the Forbidden Woods, well, thats what the brotherhood calls it." Rize told the Arcana. "To get to our village, you have to navigate through there first and _hope_ that you don't get lost. Anyway, this is kinda like giving we the home turf advantage."

"I wouldn't be so sure about that sis. This may look like the Forbidden Woods, but its still a replica generated by the simulator. So the landscape and layout may not be 100% accurate." Kazato told his sister. "Anyway, you girls know what to do, right?" The rest of his team gave him a confirming nod. "Alright then. Let's play us some hide and seek. And remember, no Grimm." He said looking towards his sisters.

"Got it" Rize replied back.

"Elisa, repeat what I said back to me.?" Kazato told his youngest sister, knowing how she can sometimes do the exact opposite of what he says.

"You said no Grimm, I heard you. Geez." The young blond rolled her eyes with annoyance before the team took off.

As the two teams are prowling the forest for each other, the rest of the students watched the match on the hologram screen in silence as suspense began to fill the atmosphere. At that time, Ozpin makes his appearance into the simulation room, wanting to see the performance of the school's newly installed arena.

"I see that you two didn't waste any time to test our new arena." Ozpin spoke to Glynda and Hope as he stands next to them. "Who do we currently have inside?"

"Have a look for yourself." Glynda mentioned towards the hologram screen, showing teams RWBY and KREL. Ozpin raised an eyebrow seeing that the two teams are facing against each other, due to the fact that the members of these teams have caught his eye of interest. Aside from already knowing about Team KREL's secret, there are some things about Team RWBY that caught his attention. One being the last of the Silver-Eyed Hunters to start off the list. The next one being a member of a family that is in a bitter conflict with the Arcana family, who also has a member attending his school. The third one having a hardened personality usually caused by a checkered past, and the last being a Cursed Hunter as well, from what Hope revealed to him.

"Everyone's vitals are in the green Ms. Goodwitch. Professor Ozpin." Hope announced the teams status while keying in a few commands on a green hologram screen in front of her that is linked to the arena's systems.

 _'Let's see what the outcome will be in this match.'_ Ozpin thought as he continued to watch.

* * *

Rize and Elisa, who are traveling from tree to tree, are currently hiding behind two separate tree trucks as they used their heighten eyesight to scope out the area ahead for their team, a command given by Kazato. Even though they're not allowed to use their supernatural abilities, they can't help that their eyesight, hearing, and sense of smell is enhanced by their Grimm. Rize didn't make a move as she took a moment to listen to her surroundings. All she can hear is the tree leaves rustling in the wind. It is quiet, too quiet. Just then, her heightened sense of smell began to pick up four distinct scents, but two of them stuck out as a sweet fragrant type smell. One that she is familiar with.

"That scent. It smells like the moon. Could it be from Elisa and Kazato?" She asked herself, use to smelling this particular scent from the brotherhood. "Wait? One smells way too strong to be Elisa's or Kazato's, plus its a few distances away along with the faint one I picked up." Rize then remembered that she picked up this same scent before, but where? Then it hit her. "Wait a minute? Could it be..." She then gave out a whistle to her sister, gaining her attention.

Looking over, Elisa sees her sister signaling her to go check out the location of one of the scents. With a nod, Elisa looked down below seeing Kazato and Lucilia on the forest floor. Receiving a whistle from Elisa, Kazato gave a thumbs up before moving on.

"What do the whistles mean? Some form of communication?" Lucilia asked as she followed along.

Kazato nodded. "Yeah. It's a system my sisters and I have. Different types of whistles means different things. We use it when we're hunting."

"So what did the previous whistles means?"

"In short, they picked up something. And thats our que to go catch it out. Obviously its one of Ruby's team, so let's go about this quietly so we can catch them by surprise."

Lucilia gave a nod along with a raised eyebrow. "I have to say that I'm rather impressed with your leadership so far. I may have misjudged you."

"Oh really?" Kazato's eyes widened a bit. "Does that mean you'll take back the things you said earlier?"

Lucilia gave a smirk. "I'll retract _some_ of the things I said."

Kazato gave a sigh to her response. "Better than nothing, I guess."

* * *

"Argh. I'm starting to get sick of this game of hide-and-seek." Yang said impatiently as she and Weiss hides behind two separate trees.

"Then what do you suggest we do? Go crashing through the forest like a bunch of elephants?" Weiss, who is across from her, asked in response to the brawler's impatient behavior. Yang looked at the heiress with a cheeky grin. "Ya'know, that doesn't sound like a bad idea."

Weiss just shook her head with a frustrated sigh as she pinched the bridge of her nose. ' _She really is Ruby's sister.'_ Just then, Yang's acute sense of hearing picked up a slight sound of a twig snapping underneath someone's foot. "Huh?" Yang looked around, trying to see where the sound came from.

"What's wrong?" The heiress asked as she got on guard, placing her hand on her Myrtenaster.

Ruby is knelled in a spot within the tree leaves with her sniper rifle, keeping an vigilant eye out for her team along with Blake who is else where nearby. Elisa, hanging from a small branch just above the one Ruby is on, dropped down and landed without making a sound. Trying to contain her snickers, she tiptoed up behind the silver-eyed girl who is unaware of her presence.

"Hey Ruby. Whatcha doing?" Elisa said in a low tone as she bend over to look over Ruby's shoulder. Ruby recognized the voice but she is so caught up in her concentration that she didn't immediately react the way she should. "Hey Elisa. I'm- Wait a minute?" Ruby looked back at the corner of her eye to see a smiling Elisa waving at her. With a gasp, she immediately transformed her Crescent Rose into scythe form and turned around with a swing, which Elisa evade with a backflip.

"Whoa, you're pretty quick with that thing." Elisa grinned as she got into her fighting stance, beckoning her to come on.

 _'How did she...? I didn't even hear her behind me!'_ Ruby thought in shock.

"Watch out!" Came Weiss's frantic voice which caught Ruby's attention. Yang had ducked the Burial Blade that is thrown at her from the bushes, the curved sword striking the tree trunk behind her. As soon as that occurred, Lucilia appeared in front of Weiss with her art of quickening, readying her Reiterpallasch to attack. Quickly drawing out her Myrtenaster, Weiss blocked Lucilia's surprise attack, resulting a deadlock between the two. Both locking glaring eyes.

"Weiss!" Yang shouted when she sees this. Soon after, the sounds of blades colliding from above caught her attention. Blake landed on top of a nearby tree root, having her Gambol Shroud unsheathed. Rize landed on the same tree root, standing a few feet away from Blake with her Chikage also unsheathe.

"Peek-A-Boo. We found you." Rize gave the fanus a grin as she points the red muramasa blade at her.

 _'How was she able to find me? I was careful?'_ Blake narrowed her eyes a bit as she readied herself.

"Hey! How's it going down there?" Came Kazato's voice. Team RWBY brought their attention to see Kazato standing on the truck of a tree with his Burial Blade in his right hand.

"What don't you come down here and see for yourself?" Yang challenged the leader of Team KREL. Kazato chuckled. "If that's what you want. Alright girls! Cut loose!"

"Oh this is going to be fun!" Rize shouted, as if on que, running towards Blake. Blake gave a gasp after bring her attention back the raven haired girl just in time the block a vertical slash with her sword. "Let's try to make this fun. Alright Blake?"

Without saying a word, Blake kicked Rize off and took off running to deliver an attack of her own. The young Vileblood readied her as the her opponent used her semblance to move between shadows, trying to confuse her. Using her quick reflexes, Rize clashed with two quick attacks from Blake. One from her sword and sheathe. Rize began twirling her Chikage around from right hand to left hand. Blake's eyes franticly wandered as she tried to predict where the next attack is coming from.

 _'What is she-'_ Before she could finish her thoughts, Rize spins around and kicks her in the stomach, causing her to slide back a bit. Rize took off after her, zig-zagging with her art of quicken as she closed in. Blake can see Rize appearing in and out of the fog as she gets closer. Using her semblance to match the speed of Rize's art of quickening, the two clashed with a series of attacks. One of Rize's attacks ended up cutting Blake's side, but it turned out to be a doppelganger.

"What?" Rize blinked with unexpected surprise clearly on her face. Blake appear in the air behind Rize with an attack. At that moment, Rize's Grimm began to react on it's own, a faint Grimm mist starting to emit from her body. Something Rize did not want. "No Grimm! I got this, back off!" She scolded her Grimm in a low tone making the mist disappear. With that, she tightened her grip on her Chikage as she turned around with a fast swift swipe, deflecting Blake's attack. Blake's eyes grew after seeing how fast Rize managed to react.

"You better block." Rize told the fanus with a smirk.

"Wha-" But before Blake could react, multiple unseen attacks began hitting her. She balled up with her arm and legs to protect herself. She grimaced as she struggles to withstand the impact of the attacks. Eventually, the attacks broke her defense and sent her flying off the tree root. "I'll leave the rest of them to you guys." Rize gave a thumbs up before jumping off after Blake.

"Blake!" Weiss shouted the fanus's name while still in a deadlock with Lucilia. Using this moment of distract, Lucilia broke the deadlock by pushing Weiss away and jumped onto another nearby root. "Weiss Schnee." She said her name with a serious tone. "I suggest that we take our dual else where. So that there won't be any interferences."

"Fine. If it's a one-on-one fight you want. Yang, take care of him." Weiss told the brawler before running off after Lucilia.

"Looks like it's just you and me Ashtray." Yang cracked her knuckles with a smirk. Kazato put on a frightened expression. "Oooo. I'm so scared." He jumped off the tree trunk with a front flip and landed a few feet away from her. "Come on. Let's make this fun."

* * *

The heated dual between Lucilia and Weiss has already begun without a moments delay. The two collided attacks with their rapiers as they fought throughout the area that they are in. Given the heat and intensity of their fight, one would think that their feud is personal. But given their exchange of words, it says otherwise.

"You Schnees think you're so special!" Lucilia yelled out in a fit of rage. "Because everyone goes head over heels for your Dust and you get whatever you want from the Altas military, you think that your sitting on top of the world! And don't even get me started on that self-righteous attitude that clearly runs in your family!"

"Self-righteous?! You're one to talk!" Weiss fired back in her own fit of rage. "Your family always throw their weight around and think that they can run anyone over! Let's count how many weapon businesses were forced to close down because of your family!"

"Ha, pot meets kettle!" Lucilia laughed. "Let's also count the number of Dust shops that your family ran out of business!" Both of the girls clinched their teeth in detest at the words being exchanged about the families, despite the words being said are partially true.

"This world would be better off without you!" Both of them shouted simultaneously with Weiss processing to deliver the next attack. Rotating the revolving chamber on her Myrtenaster to ice Dust, Weiss spins around to gain a bit of momentum in her attack and sends a glacier of ice at the Arcana. On instinct, Lucilia hurled herself out of the path of the glacier as it nearly misses her, creating a wall of ice beside her. The young Vileblood looked up just in time to see Weiss skating towards her on the ice covered ground. Right before getting to her, Weiss spins around with her rapier and collides with her opponent's Reiterpallasch.

Lucilia grimaces as the impact of Weiss's attack slams her against the ice wall she created, pinning her against it. "We'll burn you all..." Lucilia muttered as she began to slowly push Weiss back, receiving a wide eyed expression from her. "That...is your PLIGHT!" Immediately after those words, an explosion occurred. Weiss winces as the force of the explosion sent her sliding back a few feet.

"Whoa!" Jaune stood up from his seat after seeing the explosion on the hologram screen.

Lucilia sprints out of the smoke and is heading towards Weiss at full speed. Eyes now glowing with a scarlet red hue, she clinches her right fist as it becomes engulf with her own flames of corruption. The Ice Queen gasped with an expression of utter shock, holding up her rapier in front of her as a immediate response to this. Lucilia's fist collides with Weiss's Myrtenaster, causing Weiss to grimace from the impact as she slides back a little. She can feel the hot burst of heat hitting her pale white face as the flames burned around the both them.

Finally opening her eyes, Weiss finds herself looking into the eyes of a Vileblood, eyes of a burning scarlet hue. _'Her eyes, weren't they purple before? They're red, why?'_ In a act of retaliation, Weiss began to glow with a blue hue, getting a surprised reaction out of Lucilia. Mustering enough strength, the heiress knocked her opponent's attack away, causing the fire from Lucilia's fist to shoot towards a tree branch.

Blake jumped off a nearby tree branch, using her whip to swing herself towards another. Rize came running down a tree trunk shooting quicksilver bullets at the fanus with her Evelyn. After swinging herself upwards, Blake quickly transformed her weapon into it's gun form and began shooting rounds which countered Rize's shots. Jumping off the trunk towards the fanus, Rize and Blake began to collided blades once again. Seeing an opening, Blake kicked Rize in the stomach, knocking her away. Both of the girls landed on the same tree branch, standing a few feet away from each other and panting slightly.

Rize placed her left hand on her stomach as she rubbed it. "Ow. That really hurts you know."

"Consider that as payback from earlier." Blake gave a small smirk, mentioning when Rize kicked her. The raven haired girl gave a chuckle as she pointed her Chikage at her. Just then, at the corner of their eyes, they can see something bright that seems to be coming towards them. Looking in the direction of the bright object, their eyes instantly began full when they see a fireball hurling towards them.

"Jump!" Blake franticly shouted to her opponent.

"You don't have to tell me twice!" Rize replied as they both quickly jumped off the branch moments before it is destroy by the fireball.

"Shit!" Lucilia swore to herself, seeing that her aggressive actions almost got her own teammate burned alive. Seeing that her opponent is distracted, Weiss used this opportunity to kick Lucilia off and backed away a few feet. Using her semblance, Weiss created multiple glyphs that formed a large circle around Lucilia, causing the Arcana to look around vigorously. Without warning, Weiss began attacking her opponent from all direction with inexplicable speed, moving from glyph to glyph as she did so.

Lucilia is having extreme difficulty keeping up with the heiress due to her appearing as a white flash. She knows that if this continues, Weiss will wear down her aura. "Enough of this!" Doing the first thing that comes to mind, Lucilia puts her Reiterpallasch on her left side and claps her hands together above her head. Multiple arcane bolts appeared forming a cosmic display above her.

 _'What is that?'_ Weiss thought when she sees this strange move. Whatever it is, she had to keep her from launching it. With that in mind, she went for another attack in a attempt to stop her.

" **A Call Beyond!"** The arcane bolts shot out in all directions, creating a devastating explosion. The sight of this earned gasps and shocked reactions from the class.

"That was..." Hope said with a surprised look of her own upon seeing this.

"Arcane..." Ozpin finished for her, watching the match with intense focus. Glynda looked that the headmaster with an raised eyebrow. "Arcane?"

"It's a form of magic that is believed to be long forgotten." Ozpin told her. "It's the same magic as Dust but of a different property."

"Unlike Dust, arcane is pure energy." Hope began to explain. "It's faster and more efficient than it's counterpart but it's also dangerous. The arcane spell Ms. Arcana just used will more than likely take a toll on her body if she tries it again."

"In addition to it, those that know about this form of magic speculate that it's the same magic used by the four seasonal maidens. Believing that they are given the gift of arcane." Ozpin added in.

Back to the fight, The force of the explosion caused by Lucilia's arcane spell sent Weiss flying through the air. Blake dropped down from a tree branch she was on and managed to catch her teammate, causing her to slide back a bit. Weiss groaned as Blake helped her to her feet.

"They're a lot tougher than I thought." Blake slightly panted, trying to recover her breath.

"You're telling me. Who knew that she can throw fire?" Weiss mentioned the power she just witnessed from Lucilia. "Come to think of it, haven't we seen this before?" Blake responded to her question with a confirming nod, they have seen this before. "Yeah, from Yang."

Lucilia stumble out of the dust cloud, seeming a bit disoriented, feeling the after affects of the powerful spell. Rize stood beside her teammate, ready to continue the fight. "You're not looking so hot there. Are you alight?" She asked while not taking her eyes off of her opponents. Lucilia gave a confirming nod as she recovered herself.

"Don't you think that was a bit risky using that arcane spell?"

"You're one to talk Rize. When you sacrifice your blood to your Chikage, you intend to give a bit more than you should." With that said, Lucilia reached back and grabbed the handle of a metallic black rectangular box with blue glowing lines that she has hanging just below her lower back. She held the black box in front of her with her right hand and gave a command. "Black Box voice command. Requesting deployment of Vulcanus Sangre."

"Voice command accepted. Deploying 'Vulcanus Sangre'." The black box responded back in a female voice that sounds automative. The black plates on the box began to slide, opening the box and revealing a Rakuyo from within. Like all of the weapons created by her family, the midnight ash colored blades are made of a material stronger than steel. Markings are engraved into the sides of the twinblade and the sharp sides of the weapon are silver.

"Oh? You are a blood weapon too?" Rize said with a raised eyebrow.

"Have you forgotten who my family is? Not only is it a blood weapon, it is also infused with high frequency technology. So even without the use of blood, it can still cut through objects with excellent precision." Lucilia told her as she held her Rakuyo, Vulcanus Sangre, with both hands. With a strong pull, she breaks the weapon into two separate blades.

Both Weiss and Blake gritted their teeth as they prepared themselves to cross blades with the two Vilebloods once again.

"Rize..." Lucilia called out to her teammate. "Let's show them with our blood can do." Rize immediately cracked a cheeky grin after hearing those words. "Done and done." Both of the girls cut their thumbs on their blades, the sight of their blood making their eyes glow with a scarlet red hue. In unison, the two spoke the phrase used for Cainhurst weapons.

"My sword, drink my blood".

* * *

 **AN: Thanks for reading everyone. And I'll see you in the next chapter real soon.**


	11. RWBY vs KREL Act 2

**AN: Hey fellow hunters, I'm back with another chapter. I've just started writing chapter 12, which should've been chapter 11. So I'll try to get that posted as soon as I can. Anyway, not much to be said so let's get this show on the road!**

* * *

"Woohoo!" Came Elisa's cheerful voice as she and Ruby are still engaged in combat on the tree branches. The blond vanished into a fog, causing Ruby to look around vigorously. "Where did she..?"

"In coming!" Came Elisa's voice from above. Looking up, Ruby sees the blond coming down that her with a kick. Gasping, the silver eyed girl managed to block the blond's kick with the handle of her scythe, both feet planted against it. Grimacing at the impact and force along with the blond's weight behind the attack, Ruby still managed to push her off.

"Come on! We can't stop now!" Elisa runs towards Ruby with child-like glee, holding her gunblade.

 _'It's like shes not tiring out.'_ Ruby thinks as they clashed attacks.

Below on the forest floor, Kazato and Yang continued with their fight. Kazato twirled his curved sword from hand to hand as he sent swing after swing with Yang ducking and dodging. After dodging his recent attack, she kicked his blade out of his hand causing it to spin upwards into the air. Leaving him unarmed. Seeing that he has to fight barehanded, Kazato let out a calming breath as he got into his fighting stance. Remembering a few marital arts skills he and his siblings learned from Saya, one of the hunters.

The brawler raised an eyebrow upon seeing this. "Oh? So you're finally going to fight like a real man?"

"I don't have much of a choice, do I?" The young raven haired man replied with a smirk. With that said, he jumped up with a kick which Yang collided with a punch. The two can feel the impact of each other's attacks. Kazato came at Yang with a series of quick punches, which the brawler ducked and weaved to avoid while keeping her fists up in her usual fighting stance. Seeing an opening, Yang throws a right punch, with Kazato does the same. Seeing this, they simultaneously catch each other's punch, exchanging smug grins.

There is some about this girl that caught Kazato's interest. Not only is she a strong fighter, but she is also able to get him hyped up. Something that he doesn't normally do when he has to fight a female. Along with that, there is the vibe and the scent. Two separate things he is familiar with. _'Who is this chick?'_ Looking up, he sees that his sword is coming back down the earth.

Using his distract to her advantage, Yang trips him with her right foot, expecting to see a look of surprise on his face, but intend she received a smirk. Using his right hand to catch himself, Kazato kicks out his left leg, making Yang duck. "Nice save. But you'll have to try harder than that."

"Thats not what I was going for." The young man replied, putting a confused look on the brawler's face. With both hands on the ground, Kazato focused his aura to the bottom of his right foot as he spins around, catching the blade with his foot. Using the momentum, he placed his left foot on the ground and swings his right leg, swinging the blade at Yang. The brawler's eyes widen as she lean back to avoid the tip of the blade that nearly touches her face.

She jumped back to gain some distance, letting out a breath of relief. "Phew. That was a close on-" Her speech is cut short by the sight of a strand of her golden blond hair falling gently to the ground. Intense anger began to immediately build up inside the brawler as she begins to feel her blood boil and burn, clinching her fists in a trembling rage.

Unaware of her boiling anger, Kazato gave a smirk as he points his blade at her. "Heh. What wron-" He is abruptly cut off by the sense of a strong vibe. _"Hey, wait a minute. That vibes gotten stronger. What's going on?'_ Yang looks up at him with her eyes now burning with a scarlet red hue. Letting out a angry shout, she rockets towards him with her gauntlets, her right fist engulfed in flames.

"OH SHI-" His swore is cut off when Yang burning fist collided with his blade, which he uses to block. The brawler gave another anger shout, firing a shot from her gauntlet causing an explosion that sends a screaming Kazato flying. Kazato's Grimm mist appeared on it's own to protect him from the impact of crashing into a tree root. "Ow!" He groaned as he pulled himself out of the root. Yang rocketed towards him again with another punch along a furious yell. Kazato used his art of quicken to vanish, evading Yang completely as she strikes the gigantic tree root.

The moment he reappeared, the brawler is already on him with a series of punches which gets faster and faster by the minute. _'What the hell is her problem?!_ Why is she pissed all of a sudden?!' The young man thinks about what possibly could've set Yang off. _'Damn! I don't think I can handle her like this!'_ Soon after that thought, the sounds of combat above caught his attention.

Elisa seems to be having trouble trying to get close to Ruby due to her twirling her scythe. Elisa growled with a little frustration as she ducked and backflipped Ruby's attacks. "I can't even get close to her anymore. This is why I hate fighting someone with a scythe!" She said to herself, remembering sparring sessions with her brother or her uncle, Edward.

Ruby brought her scythe back, ready to send another attack. Before she could swing, she sudden felt weight pressing down on her Crescent Rose, not allowing her to swing. "Huh?" Looking back, she sees Kazato standing on the blade of her weapon.

"Sup Rub" He gave a two-fingered salute. "Now Elisa!"

"Lights out Ruby!" Elisa processed to deliver a roundhouse kick. Unable to use her weapon to defend herself, Ruby braced for the hit. Just in the nick of time, Yang rockets in using her fully reloaded Amber Celica and tackles Elisa off of the branch, saving her sister. "Thanks Yang" Ruby said with a smile. With that, she pulled the trigger of her scythe along with a swing, attempting to throw Kazato off. The young man managed to jump off just in time to avoid the action. "Looks like our sisters have found each other to play with." He connected his Burial Blade to the metal contraption on his back, transforming it into a scythe. "Let's see if you're just as tough as your sister."

"I'd be careful if I were you." Ruby warned him as she readied herself with her own scythe. "Remember, a rose have thorns."

* * *

The two blonds hit tree after tree as they fly through the forest, clinging on to each other. Eventually, they pushed off of each other and land on a branch. "Hey! That was a cheap shot!" Elisa shouted and pointed at the brawler with an unsatisfied look.

"Cheap? Didn't you and your brother decide to double team my sister?" Yang argued back to justify her choice of action. Elisa waved it off. "I didn't ask for his help. But anyway, I did say that I'm itching to fight you. So..." The younger blond got into her fighting stance to send a obvious message to the brawler. Yang raised an eyebrow and cracked a grin. "If it's a fight you want, then it's a fight you'll get. But don't start crying when I scratch that itch of yours too hard."

"Pfft. Me? Cry? You wish." Elisa replies with a smile. Just then, an explosion erupted below them. Looking down, they can see the battle between Rize & Lucilia against Weiss & Blake. Flames appeared from Lucilia's Rakuyo, Vulcanus Sangre, as she swings her blades. The same with Rize's Chikage. All Blake and Weiss can do is run and dodge to avoid getting scourged alive.

"Guys!" Yang yelled as she jump off the branch.

"Huh? Hey, wait a minute!" Elisa shout as she jumped after her.

"This is crazy! How can they do that without Dust?!" Weiss panted as she stood beside Blake, who is panting as well. It's strange. Whenever Rize or Lucilia attack with their blades, a trail of blood is left behind in the air for a brief moment before igniting into flames.

"How much Ice Dust do you have left?" Blake asked the Schnee who checked to see. "I don't have much left. Because of this fire, it's the main one I've been using."

Blake knows that they can't keep going like this. With Rize's and Lucilia's fire, there is no way that they can get close to them. "We have to fall back. We can't win if we don't know how to deal with this. Can you make another ice wall or some kind of barrage to hold them off?"

"I can try" Weiss responded as she rotated her revolver chamber to Ice Dust again and processed to use it. Seeing this, Lucilia used her semblance to generate a purple gravity field underneath the two.

"What?"

"Huh?"

Before they could react, the gravity field forced the two of them to their knees. "Whats...going...on? Weiss struggled to try to stand up.

"I...think its her...semblance." Blake look towards Lucilia, remembering that she used this before during the exam.

"Rize" Lucilia said her teammate's name. "Got it" The raven haired girl nodded with a smile as she takes off towards her immobilized prey with her Chikage. The heiress and fanus gritted their teeth for they could do nothing but show helplessly. As if on que, Team RWBY's golden sun appeared, jumping over her immobilized comrades and coming down at her target with a punch. Using her reflexes, Rize managed to avoid the brawler with a backflip as she punches the ground. "That was a close one." Rize said to her comrade as they stood off against Yang.

The brawler looked back at the corner of her eye to see that her teammates are still kneeling down. "What's the matter with you guys? Why are you just sitting there?"

"It's...gravity..." Weiss told her as she struggled against the gravity, trying to prevent herself from being pinned to the ground.

"One of them...is using...their semblance to affect it. We can't...move." Blake struggled out as she tries to fight against the gravity as well.

"Lucilia, hold them still. I'm going to finish this." Rize told her teammate as she slides her Chikage back in it's sheathe, just enough so that the red blade is showing. Lucilia looked at her for a moment before realizing what she is going to do. "You're gonna sacrifice you're blood again, aren't you?! Don't get into your risk taking habits! You've already..." She winces a little from the feeling of fatigue, due to her semblance being activated for too long. "...done it once."

"You're about to collapse from exhaustion there Ms. Gravity Queen." Rize takes note of Lucilia's condition. "Besides, they now have one extra person backing them up and thats gonna make things harder for us. It's now or never. Kill or be killed."

"Okay. But what if you miss or it doesn't work and we both collapse from exhaustion, then what?"

Rize just gives a chuckle. "You don't need to worry about that. Remember. Hunter's take care of their own." With that said, she cut her thumb on the blade, her blood running down the red steel and into it's sheathe. "My sword..." She said the phrase, the blade glowing as it consumed the blood she sacrificed. Rize grimaces at the pain she is feeling, she knows that she is pushing it. With that, she inserted the blade all the way into it's sheathe. Letting out a calming breath, she draws out her blade with a quick swift strike. **"Zantetsuken!"**

A large wide spread attack is launched, rushing towards the three members of Team RWBY. Around that time Lucilia finally collapsed, falling to her knees, thus canceling the gravity field underneath Weiss and Blake.

Now that they are free, Weiss immediately takes action. Using the Ice Dust from her Myrternaster, she created a wall of ice in front of her and teammates, protecting them from the devastating attack, resulting an huge dust cloud that covers the field. Rize falls to one knee soon after the attack. Her head feels light, vision is becoming blurry and her body feels weak. Scarlet, her mother, warned her of the repercussions of using attacks like the Zantetsuken or Renzokuken.

"Dammit Rize. Why don't you listen to me?" Lucilia said as she managed to get on her feet and walked over to her teammate to help her up. Rize gave weak laugh. "Sorry, I guess." As Lucilia is helping the weak girl up to her feet, they both start to hear fast moving footsteps circling around them from within the dust cloud. "Bloody hell!" Lucilia swore in her British accent.

Both Weiss and Blake appears out of the dust cloud, grabbing both of the girls. Weiss grabbed Lucilia while Blake grabbed Rize. They slam the girls into each other, causing their heads to collide and making them both disoriented. Yang comes running in from the dust cloud and does a slide on the ground, tripping both of the Vilebloods.

"Now! Get'em while they're on the ropes!" Yang shouted as she and her teammates charged towards their targets. Still disoriented and exhausted, Rize and Lucilia didn't make any efforts to get up. Abruptly out of where, a figure appears out of the cloud. Jumping over the two exhausted females, the figures delivered a kick which hit Yang in the face first and then performed a split in mid-air, kicking both Weiss and Blake.

The three girls stumbled back, trying to register what just happened. When the dust cloud cleared, it revealed Elisa standing before them. "Elisa?" Lucilia said the blond's name as her vision begins to clear and she sits up.

"I...told you, didn't I? Hunter's...take care...of their own." Rize said weakly along with a small smile.

"You two heal up. I'll hold all three of them off." The blond told them as she gets into her fighting stance, hopping from foot to foot as she puts up her hands that are slightly balled up.

"Are you sure? That's three-on-one." Lucilia questioned. Rize gives a weak chuckle. "Have you already forgotten who she is? She's Elisa Cainhaurst, my little sister. She can switch from martial arts to swordplay, and has a bit of magic up her sleeve. She'll be fine."

"I guess. She can be a handful to fight against." Lucilia reached into her coat pocket and pulls out two blood vials, tossing one to Rize. "I know that you detest drinking this as much as I do, but it heals our bodies a lot quicker than any medicine. Plus, it'll replenish to blood we lost." She told the raven haired girl who just looks at the blood vial for a moment before giving a nod.

Weiss squints her eyes, trying to make out what they have in their hands. "What is that? Medicine?"

"Don't let them drink it!" Yang shouted as she takes off along with Weiss and Blake. In response to this action, Elisa takes towards the three as well. "Give them hell little sis." Rize gave a weak grin as she begins to drink the blood, replenishing her strength.

Using her Amber Celica, Yang rockets towards the younger blond, ready to deliver a punch. Elisa takes her gunblade, Cerberus, out of it's black case and jumps into the air with a front flip. She lands on top of Yang's head, using her as a footstool to jump off. Upon landing, she performed a 360 degree spin, transforming her weapon into blade form and deflects attacks from both Blake and Weiss. In a fluent movement with the spin, she swings out her left leg to perform a side kick, kicking Blake in the stomach and then swings it back also kicking Weiss in the side with her heel. Soon after that action, she jumps up and performs another split, kicking both of the girls, causing them to stumble back.

"Stay back! She's mine!" Yang yells as she runs straight for Elisa. Elisa can feel her heart leaping with joy seeing the one she wants to fight the most running towards her. Putting her gunblade back in it's case, the young Vileblood runs towards the brawler with child-like glee. "Yes, finally! Woohoo!" The two run towards each other, clinching their gauntlets as they readied their fists. The two meet with their fists colliding, feeling the impact and force behind each other's attack. Soon after, they begin exchanging fluent combos of punches and kicks, dodging and blocking each other's blows.

Simultaneously, as if fighting in front of a mirror, both of the blonds reel back their right fists, gathering strength. At the exact same time, they release their punches, hitting each other in the face with a hard smack that can be heard. Both of them stumbled back holding their faces, grimacing from the pain.

"Ow!"

"Shit!"

Both of the blonds chuckle to themselves as they shake off the pain. They look back at each other exchanging grins and looks of approval in their eyes. Looks that their teammates know all too well.

"Oh boy..." Rize sighed with a grin, shaking her head at her sister. Knowing that she about to really get into the fight. Lucilia sighs as well as she pinches the bridge of her nose. "There is no stopping her, is there?"

"It's best that we stay out of her way." Blake suggested, noting the look in Yang's eyes. Weiss pinches the bridge of her nose as well and shakes her head, knowing how the brawler can get. "Noted" She said with a sigh.

"Come on Lucilia. We're taking round two elsewhere." Rize told the Arcana as she walks off. Lucila gave a nod looking back at youngest member of their team. _'Careful Elisa. She's a Vileblood too.'_

"Weiss" Blake called the heiress's name who gave a nod in response. After the four left to move their fight elsewhere, the two blonds have the area to themselves. The blonds begin to slowly walk around in a circle, watching and studying each other with anticipation. Looking for any tells of a next move. The two take off running towards each other, simultaneously readying a punch. The moment the two meet, they both catch each others fists with their free hand. Both raised an surprise eyebrow upon seeing this happen again. It seems like they there fighting in front of a mirror.

Since Elisa is a bit shorter than Yang, she looks up at the brawler in order to make eye contact. Amber meeting lilac, both of them can feel their blood getting warm as adrenaline begin to build up inside them. This fight seems promising.

"You have one helluva punch there." Elisa gave the brawler a smile of entrainment.

"I can give you more if you want?" Yang gave an entrained smile of her own.

Pushing off of each other, they collide with more fluent combos but this time they are a lot faster with more power and passion behind them.

This fight is beginning to entice them. For once in their life, they finally found someone else who not only has the same taste for combat but also has that same taste in fighting. Right now, nothing else in the world matters to them. All they can think about, the ONLY thing they can think about, is this fight.

Yang delivered a powerful right swing which Elisa blocked, causing her to slide back a bit. With a smile of joy and excitement, Elisa jumps into the air and performs a tornado kick with her left leg in mid-air, which Yang manages to catch with her right hand as she held her hands up in defense, crossing her arms. Seeing this, Elisa immediately throws a right punch aiming for the brawler's face, which Yang caught with her left hand, giving a smug grin. The younger blond isn't done yet. Using her right leg, which is free, she swings a kick, flipping her upside-down and having the kick come in from above.

Yang let out a small gasp seeing this maneuver. While still holding Elisa's leg and fist, the brawler brings her arms to block the kick, feeling the impact when it hits.

"Oh Yang." Elisa called out her name in a beckoning tone. Looking down, the brawler sees a smile on the young Vileblood's face. "You're wide open." She motioned towards Yang's exposed torso as she balls up her free hand and goes for a punch.

The brawler's eyes widened upon seeing this. The young blond has her trapped, unable to make any attempts to defend herself since both of her hands were used to catch Elisa's punch and kick. She was forced to leave herself open. Bracing herself, Yang takes the punch to the gut. Elisa wears satisfied grin on her face but is short lived when she sees that Yang isn't phased by the punch, a smile appearing on her face. Turns out, the brawler's semblance kicked in, absorbing the hit.

"What? She's not-" Before Elisa knew it, the brawler tightened her grip and throws her towards a nearby tree. "Whoa!" Elisa shouts as she flies through the air. Channeling her aura to the bottom of her feet, she manages to catch herself on the tree trunk, saving herself from the impact. The brawler tosses up two casings of quicksilver shotgun shells and reloads her gauntlets.

"Let's see you handle this!" Yang shouts, shooting a barrage of fiery bullets with a series of punches. Elisa maintained her smile as she pulls out her gunblade. "Alright Cerberus." Elisa said her weapon's name, channeling her lightning arcane magic to the gun, making the markings light up with a blue glow. "Let's hear you roar." She begins shooting electrical shot after electrical shot, colliding with Yang's fiery ones, Thus, creating explosions resulting a huge smoke cloud down below.

The brawler suddenly bursts out of the smoke, running up the tree towards her opponent. Her lilac colored eyes now glowing with a burning scarlet red hue, the adrenaline and excitement of the fight bringing out the Vileblood side of her. "Hope you're ready for this!" She yells as she feels her blood begin to boil, clinching her right fist as it becomes engulfed with flames.

"Hahaha! Bring it!" Elisa shouts in a joyous tone as she feels her blood boil as well, her amber colored eyes also glowing with the same burning scarlet red hue. She jumps off the tree trunk, avoiding Yang as her fist smashes into the tree trunk, her flames of corruption beginning to burn from the inside of the trunk and spread to the rest of the tree. Elisa landed on a nearby tree branch, seeing the tree she was just on suddenly go up in flames. Just seeing this destructive power from her opponent made her even more enthusiastic about the fight. Too bad shes not allowed to use her Grimm.

A moment later, Yang lands in the same tree branch as Elisa and dashes towards her without hesitation. "Come on! We're not done yet!" She shouts with eagerness in her tone.

Elisa let out a fangirlish squeal, her Vileblood side starting to get the best of her. "Yes! Yes! YES!" She dashes towards the brawler and meets with a kick that collides with Yang's punch, feeling the strong impact of their attacks. Elisa processes with a series of front kicks with her left leg, which Yang manages to block. She then brings her leg up in attempts to come down on the brawler's head with a heel drop.

Yang blocks this with her right gauntlet and kicks Elisa in the side with a side kick, earning a grunt of pain from her. The brawler then processes with her own attacks as Elisa stumbles back, hitting the young blond with a devastating fast pace combo of punches from face to torso and finishing it off with a hard right hook to the face, knocking the energetic blond off her feet and rolling on the branch.

"Let me know when you had enough." Yang said with a grin as she rubs her knuckle, feeling a bit of pain when she hit Elisa. Elisa gets on her hands and knees, due to the adrenaline running through her body, she doesn't feel the pain where Yang punched her. The young blond suddenly tastes the metallic taste of blood in her mouth, which she spits out onto the tree bark. Seeing the sight of the red liquid made her inner Vileblood stir even more than it has.

"Oh..." She starts in a low tone, her gauntlets digging into the tree bark. "...we're just getting STARTED!" She yells out of rage, using her art of quickening to disappear into a black mist.

"Huh? Where did she-" Before Yang knows what is going on, Elisa abruptly appears in front her, hands engulfed with her own flames of corruption along with electricity from her arcane magic. With rapid succession, she hits the brawler with a series of punches from chest to torso, finishing off by driving her fist against the brawler's jaw and hit her in the torso with a double palm strike.

The impact of the last attack sent Yang sliding back. She can feel the jolt of electricity run through her body as her muscles begin to cramp up from it. Eventually the cramping in her muscles passes. Her semblance begins to kick in again, storing energy from Elisa's devastating attacks. Wiping her mouth, she notices a little bit of blood on her hand, indicating that she is bleeding. Yang looks up that her opponent, eyes still burning with a scarlet red hue. A bit of her anger started to arise, a natural reaction from anyone who gets hurt by someone else.

Both of the blonds stood off against each other, their red eyes having a hint of burning rage within them, given what they did to each other. Teeth and fists clinched, the two readied themselves for another round of their fierce brawl. But little did they notice is a faint black and red mist coming from their bodies.

* * *

In another area, not far from the brawl between the blonds, the rest of the members of teams RWBY and KREL continued on with their fight. Ruby and Kazato both twirled their scythes in a fast pace clash while their teammates face off against each other. After deflecting a attack from Kazato, Ruby spins around while twirling her Crescent Rose and fires a shot at the raven haired boy. Using his quick reflexes, Kazato deflects the bullet with his scythe, reaches for his Evelyn and fires a shot in return. Only to also be deflected by the silver-eyed girl.

As their fight rages on, they begin to the sounds of rumbling coming from within the distance. The teams halt their fight, hearing the sounds getting closer and closer.

"What...is that?" Weiss asked herself, wondering what could be the rumbling sounds. Soon after, a dust cloud erupted from one of the trees with Elisa flying out of the cloud and crashing into a nearby root that a few feet away from the teams.

"Was that...Elisa?" Ruby asked no one in particular with an raised eyebrow.

"I...think it was?" Kazato answered her question with a raised eyebrow of his own. A moment later, they hear something land behind them with a thud. Turning around, they see Yang standing before them with a pissed looking expression on her face, her red glowing eyes still burning.

"Yang?" Ruby said her sister's name. Just then, everyone hears a scream of furious rage coming from the root Elisa flew into, one that Kazato and Rize automatically knows that it means bad news. Suddenly, a dust cloud erupts of the tree root with Elisa jumping out with a rage filled scream. Upon landing, she takes off with inexplicable speed towards the brawler. Her eyes are now black and red, the eyes of a Grimm. Her teeth have become fangs, black lines that look akin to cracks run from her eyes down o her cheek, and a black and red mist is emitting from her body.

"No...Shes..." Rize muttered to herself upon seeing this. "Elisa! No!" She yells as her sister completely ignores her, passing her with inhuman speed. Yang runs towards the enraged blond, not caring what exactly shes up against. The brawler hit the enraged blond dead in the face with a powerful punch, but it didn't phase her.

Elisa let out a growl, glaring at the brawler. The Grimm mist begin to cover her right arm with a second black skin, glowing red line that look akin to lava flow. She punches Yang dead in the stomach, the impact lifting the brawler off her feet, causing her to cough up a little bit of blood. Elisa's left arm becomes covered with the same skin as she unleashes an vicious onslaught of punches on Yang, flames igniting with each devastating punch. She then punches the brawler in the stomach again with a hard right swing, sending her flying towards and crashing into a tree.

"Shit!" Three members of Team KREL swore, knowing that if they don't do something, things will get worse.

"YANG!" Team RWBY cried out franticly after seeing what happened to their teammate. Before they could run to her aid, a flow of crows suddenly appeared out of nowhere and swarmed around them. The crows blocked their vision and their cries drown out all sound around them, they couldn't even hear each others voices.

"Crows?! Where did they come from?!" Blake shouts as she and her teammates swatted at the birds, not being able to see.

"I can't see a thing!" Weiss yells.

"Weiss?! Blake?! Where are you?!" Ruby calls out to her teammates.

"Kazato! Lucilia! Come on, we gotta stop them!" Rize shouts as she runs towards the fray. "Nice thinking Rize!" Kazato complimented her as he and Lucilia follow suit.

Frantic commotion can be heard from the class as everyone witnessed what just happened. "How did she do that?!" Jaune exclaimed about what he have just seen. "Is she going to be okay?" Nora asked to no one in particular, worry of the brawler clearly in her voice.

"Professor Ozpin! Is that..." Glynda started to ask the headmaster.

"Professor! They're..." Hope started.

"I know." Ozpin answers, keeping his cool demeanor despite the simulation. "Ms. Valentine, cut the camera feed and shut down the simulation. Ms. Goodwitch, keep the class calm. We can't allow a panic. I'll head in to intervene." He gives his orders in which the two women nodded without question. "Yes, Professor!"

Back on the battlefield, the teams can feel the ground underneath their feet begin to shake. "What's going..." Rize started to ask herself. At that moment, the tree Yang flew into explodes into flames followed by a rage filled scream coming from the brawler. The smoke clears, revealing Yang standing there with a Grimm mist emitting from her body along with flames burning around her. Looking up, her eyes are now black and red, stilling burning with a scarlet hue. With anger on boiling over, she clinches her fists, which are now covered in the same second black skin as Elisa's, and teeth, which are now fangs.

With another rage filled scream, both of the blonds charge towards each other with inexplicable speed. Their Flames of Corruption engulfing their right fists. Lucilia is the first to spring into action. Using her semblance, she created a gravity field underneath both of the blonds, attempting to pin them down. Unfortunately, this didn't work as she planned it. The blonds were slowed down but they continued to move, making Lucilia struggle to keep them in place. "I...can't...hold..." Lucilia struggles before giving out, breaking her concentration of her semblance.

"Kazato!" Rize called out to her brother who replied with a nod. "Yeah!" With that, both of them linked with their Grimm, their eyes turning black and red. "You stop Elisa! I'll stop Yang!" Kazato gave the order in which Rize nods. The two takes off with inexplicable speed, getting into the paths of the two blonds. Readying themselves, they manage to catch the blonds fists, sliding back before stopping. The blonds fists burst with even more flames when the two Cainhurst siblings caught them.

"Dammit Elisa! Get a grip of yourself!" Rize shouted at her little sister.

"Yang! Calm down!" Kazato shouted at the brawler as well. Both the blonds didn't listen to them. Gathering strength, the two simultaneously knocked their fists away, causing their flames to shoot off in different directions and striking something within the forest, resulting the sound of a explosion. An alarm immediately rings throughout the forest after the fire collides with whatever it hit, followed by a female voice. "Critical damage detect. Initiating emergency shut down."

The environment around them immediately begins to disappear, reverting back to the black metallic wall and flooring with green glowing lines. One of the arena's wall is hit by the flames, leaving a huge black scrounge mark on it along with a few small flames. Soon after, time around the four seemed to slow down for a brief moment. When it resumed, both of the blonds are found lying on the arena floor unconscious.

"What just...?" Rize starts with a raised eyebrow but is cut off by the sound of someone tapping something on the arena floor. Turning around, the two sees Ozpin standing a few feet away with his cane.

"The headmaster?" Lucilia said to herself, getting up to her feet.

Ozpin looked upon students before him and then to the ones lying on the floor. "I think this concludes today's sparring session."

* * *

"Idiot!" Rize shouted when she punches Elisa at the top of her head, who is sitting on a bed in the infirmary.

"Ow! Ow! Why is everyone abusing me?!" Elisa wined as she covers her head with her hands.

"We specifically said 'No! Grimm!' But you didn't it anyway!" Lucilia scold the young blond, a furious look on her face. Elisa coward under the glares she is getting from her team. "I'll sorry okay! I got carried away in the moment!"

Rize let out a sigh as she sits in a chair, crossing her arms and legs. "Well, we almost let the cat out the bag today."

"What do you mean by _almost_?" Lucilia questions as she leans against a nearby wall, crossing her arms and legs as well. "In case you haven't thought about it, the headmaster more than likely knows our secret now." She let's out a sigh. "So much for keeping a low profile."

"I said I'm sorry." Elisa apologized again.

"We don't wanna hear. You need to learn how to not let the fight get to at bonehead of yours." Kazato told his youngest sister, his tongue laced with a harsh edge.

"I'll say that it's a good thing that she did." Lucilia said, gaining looks from her team. "Thanks to her, she confirmed something thats been on my mind lately."

"It's Yang, isn't it?" Rize asked, receiving a nod from the Arcana.

"I going to cut straight to the point here." Lucilia told them. "Shes like us. And, at the same time, shes like you three."

"Shes a Cursed Hunter..." Kazato said, remember what he have seen from Yang.

"...And a Vileblood." Rize added in. "Well, that explains the vibes we get from her. Still trying to keep the whole Vileblood thing in mind."

"I received a vibe from her as well on the first day of school, but I wasn't entirely sure if she was a Vileblood until the day of the exam when she used her Flames of Corruption against the Darkbeast." Lucilia told.

"Flames of Corruption?" Elisa said with a raised eyebrow.

"It's a trademark ability of the Vilebloods." Lucilia began to explain. "Every Vileblood, pure-blood and half-blood, inherits this flame. How we got it. It's believed to be a gift given by the stolen Old Blood used to create our ancestors."

"Correct me if I'm wrong. The Old Blood is basically the blood of a god. A Great One, right? " Kazato asked, trying to recall what the hunters taught him about it even though there was so little to learn.

Lucilia nods. "The Old Blood stolen is believed to have been the blood of a Great One known as Vulcanus. A Great One heavily associated with fire, or hellfire I should say."

"Wow" Rize said with a hint of amusement in her tone. "Never in my life have I thought that the fire we use came from a god."

"Like I told you before. The Old Blood can even people power, which is why The Healing Church wanted to control all kinds of it." Lucilia told them. Elisa let's out a sigh of joy as she falls back on the bed.

"What are you so happy about?" Rize raised an eyebrow.

"Things just keep getting better and better the more we learn about ourselves. Mom is a queen, we're technically related with the Arcana family in a way, and we have the power of a _freaking_ god! And not only at that..." She continues as she reaches her right hand towards the eggshell white tiles of the infirmary ceiling. "Fighting Yang...was the most awesome thing I've ever done. I mean, how often can you find someone who has the same exact taste for battle as you? Even though we differ a bit in fighting styles, still, it felt like we connected back there. I can tell that she was enjoying it as well before...well...you know. She's is definitely my rival." The blond cracked a cheeky smile, clinching her right fist as if shes crushing something in the palm of her hand.

"Aww, how cute. Sounds like the two of you are made for each other. I think you two would make a cute couple." Rize said with a sly grin.

"Yea- WAIT, WHAT?!" Elisa shoots a look towards her snickering sister. "The hell?! What kind of joke is that?! Lesbian!"

"Hey hey, watch your tongue little sis. We both know that I'm as straight as an arrow."

Kazato only sighs and shakes his head at his sisters before bring his attention back to Lucilia. "So Yang is a Vileblood huh? You'd think that since I'm one too, I would've caught on to it."

"True, but it depends if the individual is aware of these things and is knowledgeable about the Vilebloods."

"Which is why we want to learn more about them." Kazato told her. "By learning about them, we'll also be learning about ourselves. And since you seem to know a great deal about them..."

"I don't know entirely everything about the Vilebloods." Lucilia told her leader.

"But you know enough. So I'm pretty sure you may know a good source of information for us to start on." Kazato said with a serious look on his face, joined in by the nods from his sisters. Lucilia let out a silent sigh.

 _'They really are serious about this. If only they know what they're really asking for.'_ Even though she doesn't know the entirety about the Vilebloods, she do know that their ancestors were practitioners in very depraved acts. Acts that her family is not proud of. "Very well. I'll provide you the means needed to learn about our history. But fair warning, you three are about to walk into the abyss and the things you'll find there are not meant for the faint of heart, so you must promise me. Promise me that no matter what you find and learn, that you won't change how you see yourselves. I know it may sound a bit silly due to the fact that the three of you grew up knowing that there is a Grimm inside of you waiting to take over at any given chance. But the Vilebloods...are not like the hunters. They're..."

Lucilia looks down towards her feet, beginning to feel uncomfortable as a chill runs down her spine, thinking about the depraved acts of their ancestors. At that moment, she feels two comforting hands resting on both of her shoulders. Bringing her gaze up, she sees that it's both Kazato and Rize.

"Hey, it's a promise. No need to worry about us." Kazato told her with a warm smile of comfort.

"No matter what it is, we'll stomach it." Rize replies with a smile of her own. Lucilia looks over to Elisa who is still sitting on the bed, giving a confident nod. The Arcana can feel herself beginning to calm down as she lets out a breath of relief. "Thank you. That's reassuring."

At that moment, the infirmary room's door opens, revealing Ozpin himself as he walks in. "Is this a bad time for my arrival?" He asks, seeing the moment the team is having.

"Professor Ozpin?" Rize raised an eyebrow.

"Headmaster?" Lucilia said, a bit surprise to see him makes his appearance.

"Professor? What are you doing here?" Elisa popped the question. Ozpin gives a grin. "I merely come to check of my students as any headmaster should. Especially after the incident that occurred earlier."

"Yang! How is Yang!" Kazato blurted out.

"Ms. Xiao Long and her team are perfectly fine. There is no need to worry." The headmaster told them, receiving sighs of relief from the team. "I've also come here to congratulate you all on a job well done for resolving the incident."

"You mean congratulate _three_ of us. One of us was part of the problem." Rize said as she looks towards her sister who only frowns at her. "Besides, how did we resolve anything? It was you who knocked them out, plus the arena got busted."

"That maybe true Ms. Cainhurst, but that's not what I wanted to congratulate you all on." He told them, receiving confused expressions from them. "I've seen what you three did out there, especially you two." He looks towards Kazato and Rize. "You knew that the situation would require you to use your supernatural abilities. But doing so would cause unwanted confusion and attention. The actions you took prevented a panic from occurring. One that I personally want to thank you for."

"Wait a minute? You knew all along, didn't you? You knew that these three are Cursed Hunters?" Lucilia asked the headmaster who replied with a nod. "From the beginning. All due to a certain individual of theirs."

Rize gives a confused look. "A certain person of ou- Mom!" She abruptly blurts outs.

"Huh? Mom?" Elisa looks at her confused.

"Come on, think about it." Rize put a hand on her hip. "She wanted us to attend this school. More than likely, they know each other and thats how he knows about us being Cursed Hunters."

"You're as sharp as her mother I see Ms. Cainhurst." Ozpin grinned.

"Well since he already knew about us, I guess its safe to say that we dodged a bullet." Kazato said as he rests his hands behind his head.

"Can't really say that." Luclica replied as she leaned against the wall again, crossing her arms and legs. "Remember. Yang saw everything that happened."

"On the contrary Ms. Arcana, in fact, Ms. Xiao Long doesn't seem to recall anything that happened during the incident." Ozpin told her, receiving wide eyed expressions.

"What? What was the last thing she remembers?" Elisa asked.

"The last thing she can recall was being crashed into a tree by you."

"So it's like she blacked out." Kazato said to himself.

"Before I leave, there is a question I want to ask you. One that I ask all of my students." Ozpin regained their attention. "Why do you wish to become huntsmen? Every man and woman who chooses to be a huntsmen have their own reasons and purposes. So what are yours?" This question automatically earned three confused looks from the Cainhurst siblings. "Why we want to be hunters? Well..uh..." Elisa tried to come up an answer along with her sibling. "It's about heroics? Keeping the peace as mankind's defenders against Grimm?" Both of her sibling give her a dull look. "He's asking for a real reason dumbass." Her brother said harshly.

 _'Same start as some of the members of Team RWBY.'_ Ozpin thought when seeing this reaction.

While the siblings are still pondering on what to say, Lucilia decides to speak up first. "Mines is more of a personal reason."

"I'm assuming it involves the century long conflict between your family and the Schnees?" Ozpin asked, having knowledge of their family war. Lucilia nods. "So you know about that too huh? Then yes, it is. So our ancestors committed depraved acts that started a war between them and the church. But why do we have to carry that weight? Why do we have to continue fighting a war that we didn't even start? Sometimes I wonder if either side even knows what their fighting each other for. The Healing Church is gone and the Vilebloods are renewed, scattered throughout Remnant. None of them even know about their own kind or origin. I realized that when I met my team. Despite that, remnants of the church still intend on hunting us down. I'd decided that I'll resolve this conflict, as a hunter. First by resolving this long dreadful family conflict once and for all. Show both sides that we don't have to keep fighting this stupid war from the past."

"Hm. I see. Paying for the sins of your forefathers." Ozpin listened to her brief story. _'Her response is similar to Ms. Schnee's.'_ "Well Ms. Arcana, I believe I may have one piece of advice that might help you to achieve your goal." Lucilia's ears perks up upon hearing this. "It takes two people, two sides, to continue a conflict. You do know that, right?"

"I'm well aware of what you mean headmaster, but given the circumstances, if _we_ stop fighting then the Schnees still overwhelm us without hesitation."

"Given the situation, that is true. But thats not entirely what I'm referring to. I've noticed that the relationship between you and Ms. Schnee hasn't been... _friendly_ since your first day here. You said that you want to end a war thats been going on for centuries. Well, maybe she is your _ticket_ to achieving that."

"My ticket huh?" Lucilia takes in what Ozpin said.

"To be honest Lucilia." Kazato spoke up, gaining her attention. "Given how you two have been going at each other. Sometimes I wonder if you have something against her."

"To be truthful, I don't hold anything personal against Weiss. It's just that she displays the same self-righteous attitude that her family is known for having. It infuriates me to no end. But no, I hold nothing against Weiss." Lucilia told him.

"Then you know what you should do, right?" Rize asked her.

"Maybe. So what are you reasons of becoming a hunter?" Lucilia flipped the attention onto the siblings. Rize looks towards her siblings before answering. "Well, we can't really give a real reason why. We were born and raised by hunters, hunting is a everyday life for us. So we pretty much see it as a 'much do' type of thing."

"Not me..." Elisa spoke up in a low tone, gaining everyone's attention. "That's not why I want to become a hunter."

"Elisa, you don't have to-" Kazato starts but Rize put her hand over his mouth, slowly shaking her head.

"My dad..." Elisa continued as she looks down that the white bed sheets. "He...was a Cursed Hunter too. I still have memories of him when I was still small." She formed a small smile as she remembers her father. He was one of the best hunters in the brotherhood, along with our mom. He was strong, caring, and can often be a bit stubborn a times. But it was because of that stubbornness that got himself and others out of a few binds. But...then..." Elisa's smile begins to fade as her hands slowly grippes the bed sheets. Her voice begins to break little as the painful memories she keep buried deep within starts to resurface. Her team comes to her side to comfort her. Both of her siblings sitting on both side of the bed, putting a arm around her, and Lucilia placing a comforting hand on top of Elisa's, which the blond grabbed with a grip, surprising the Arcana a little before returning a grip of her own.

"Something...unforgettable happened to him. Something that not even his stubbornness could get him out of. He..." Tears started to form in the blond eyes, but she tried her best hold them back. She couldn't bring herself to say what happened to him, even when it was a few years ago. "...was too far gone. And mom..." Her grip tightened up on Lucilia's hand, sniffles can now be heard. "...had to kill him." Tears run down her cheeks as her eyes begin to overflow with them. But she didn't break, she wasn't going to let her Grimm take advantage of this.

Ozpin felt an extreme sense of sympathy for the blond. Even though she didn't come straight out with it, given the legend, he has an idea of what may have happened to her father. He understands all too well of what it's like to loss those close to him. And its obvious to him that the Black Wing Hunters experience this loss more often than anyone.

"That's why I want to become a hunter. " Elisa wiped the tears from her eyes as she begins to calm herself down. "I believe that by being a hunter, I can not only protect people from Grimm but also from whats inside them. So they won't end up like my dad."

"It was hard when Elisa's dad died." Rize spoke up. "He wasn't the first one our mom lost. The first was..."

"...Our dad" Kazato comes in. "He died when he and his group were sent to hunt an S-Class Grimm. Or so they told us."

" After what happened to Elisa's dad, mom just...shut down." Rize takes back over. "The emotional struggle was tough to deal with. Especially when your Grimm tries to use that as an opportunity to take over. Mom recovered, but ever since then, she would always put on a brave face whenever something bothers her. She does it for our sake."

"But bottling up emotions only makes the Grimm strong." Lucilia said to the siblings.

"That's if you don't learn how to cope with your emotions and find a way to vent them out. The hunters know that they can't stop themselves from holding in negative emotions, so they find a way to cope and vent them out." Kazato told her. Ozpin checked the time on his watch, seeing that he had stayed longer than he had intended to. "It's time for me to take my leave. It's good to see that your team member is unharmed. And my apologies for stirring any unwanted memories with my question."

"No, it's okay." Elisa tone slowly reverted back to normal. "You said it yourself. Anyone who chooses to become a hunter has their own reasons and purposes. You were just curious about ours." Ozpin gives the team grins at the team with a nod before exiting the room.

"I'll be taking my leave as well you three." Lucilia told her team as she leaves to exit the room as well.

"Where are you heading off to?" Kazato asks the Arcana before she gets to the door.

"I thought you three might want some time alone? Besides, you said that you wanted to learn about the Vilebloods, correct? I'll see you three back at the room." With that said, she exited the infirmary.

* * *

Now walking down the empty grands halls of the school, Lucilia is lost deep in her thoughts. "Weiss is my ticket huh?" She muttered to herself, thinking about the advice Ozpin had given her. His words continuously running through her mind. As she turned at the next corner, she started to hear echoing footsteps coming from ahead. Snapping out of her thoughts by the echoing sounds, she notices Weiss walking her way. _'There she is.'_ She thought as they are getting closer to each other. _'Come on Lucilia. Make up your mind. What are you going to do?'_ She pondered.

Weiss is also in her thoughts as well, remembering the strange event that occurred at the arena. _'What in the world happened back there? First, Yang and Elisa comes crashing through a tree. Then a bunch of birds appear out of no where. And according to Pyhrra, the teachers cut the camera feed, so even they don't know what happened.'_ The more she tries to make sense of this, the more frustrated she becomes. Eventually she decides to let it go. "At least Yang is oka-" She is cut off by the sounds of echoing footstep ahead of her, looking up she notices Lucilia walking her way. _'Tch. It's her again.'_

As the two continued walking, they passed by each other without saying a word. Lucilia stops in her tracks, takes a deep breath before turning around to speak to the Schnee. "Hey, Weiss" She calls out in which the heiress turns around. "What do _you_ want?" Weiss crosses her arms, her tongue laced with a harsh edge.

Lucilia twitched an eyebrow as she resisted the urge to snap in response to the heiress's harsh tone. Taking a small breath, she speaks. "I want to apologize."

"Huh?" Weiss blinked with a wide eye expression. ' _Shes apologizing?'_ This caught her by surprise.

"I acted antagonistic towards you, which was uncalled for. And for that, I'm sorry." Lucilia gives the heiress her apologies. Weiss didn't know what think that first. Someone from the Arcana family, apologizing? "No, I probably deserved it." She finally answered. "I admit that I can be _difficult_ at times."

"For once I agree with you." Lucilia said as she crosses her arms. Weiss gives her a look. "I thought you wanted to apologize?"

"I do. And I'm also agreeing with you. By the way, how is Yang? The headmaster told my team that shes doing well." Lucilia changes the subject to Weiss's teammate and friend.

"Shes doing fine. Just minor scratches is all. She doesn't remember what happened during the last part of the match. Do you know by any chance?" Weiss asked, clearly remember Lucilia being on the field.

"I'm not entirely sure what happened. Yang, and her famous temper tantrum, caused a dust cloud that clouded my vision. But apparently she and Elisa damaged the arena." Lucilia gives her answer with a mixture of truth and lie. Half of what she said is true, but she can't tell her everything. Her team already managed to dodge one bullet today.

Weiss let's out a sigh, hearing that Yang damaged an Atlas built arena that would probably take an mind boggling amount of money to repair. "Well one thing I know for sure is that Yang is as reckless as her sister. Who, I'm still wondering how, was picked to become leader for our team."

"Oh I can understand how you feel there." Lucilia nods. "For the past week I've been wondering if the headmaster made a mistake when he appointed Kazato as our team leader. I mean seriously. Hes too laid back and carefree. I had to get the entire team up and ready on the first day of class. If it weren't for me, they would've over slept, or worse, miss all of their classes."

"Tell me about it." Weiss rolled her eyes with her arms still crossed. "Ruby didn't even bother to check the our class schedule before hand and we ended up rushing to class. Along with that, she goofs off in class and she doesn't listen to a word I say half the time."

"Well we have to admit, they are surprising in their own way." Lucilia mentioned, which Weiss nods in agreement. "I guess you do have a point there."

"Well, you know what they say. Things happen for a reason."

"Argh. You sound like Professor Ozpin." Weiss rolled her eyes again.

"Who do you think I heard it from?" Lucilia replied with a grin which both of the girls begin to snicker. The tension that was once between them disappeared, now replaced with a friendly atmosphere. "By the way..." Weiss started. "During the match, with all of the fire, I thought you were trying to burn me alive."

Lucilia gives a small chuckle as she turns to continue her way. "Guess I was."

"Huh?" Weiss blinks. "What do you mean 'you guess'? Were you really trying to burn me alive?! Hey, I know you hear me!" The heiress yells as she stomps her foot on the floor before going after the Arcana.

Little did they know, Ozpin is casually standing around a corner enjoying his favorite brand of coffee, wearing a small smile on his face. "Looks like my advice worked out well." He said to himself as he sips his coffee. _'Today, they are on the verge of making history. Forming a possible companionship between a Arcana and a Schnee. A Vileblood and a Executioner. Both families have been fighting their war longer than they can remember. If these two can manage, they may be able to finally bring it to a close. But before that can happen. Ms. Arcana will eventually have to tell Ms. Schnee the truth about the families.'_

* * *

Nighttime has now fallen upon a large town known as Lestallum, one of the few well-protected towns

that settles outside of the protection of the Kingdoms. Well...for a town that is supposedly well-protected, echoing screams of terror and fear can clearly be heard coming from the town.

"A GRIMM!" A woman screamed at the top her lungs as she, along with many other civilians, run from the imminent danger that threatens their lives.

Two police officers, using their handguns, repeatedly shoot rounds at a monstrous Beowolf that is standing over three lifeless, mauled bodies of other officers. Another thing noticeable about the Beowolf aside from it's monstrous size is the torn, tattered clothes it has on it's body.

"How the hell did a Grimm get in here?! There weren't any Grimm within the perimeter and the gates are closed!" One of the officers shouted as they continue to fire shots at the bloodthirsty beast. Their bullets, unfortunately, have no effect on the Grimm. Whenever the bullets make contact with the Grimm's hulking body, the wounds left behind will heal at an exponential rate, making their efforts futile.

"What?! It heals?!" One of the officers shouted. The Beowolf lunges forwards the officer without any warning, it's thirst for flesh and blood far from being satisfied."AHHHHH!" The officer screams at the top of his lungs as he continuously shoots more and more rounds at the hulking beast that is lunging straight for him. His attempts to stop the beast are, unfortunately, in vein as the beast pounces on top of him. It's weight crushing him to the ground.

"No!" The last officer standing shouted as he repeatedly, and furiously, pulls the trigger of his handgun. "YOU SON OF A BITCH!" The Beowolf can feel the bullets hitting it's body as it is tearing into it's prey. The Grimm brings it's attention towards the last officer, dropping it's prey's intestines from it's mouth. The beast let out a fearsome roar as more bullets hit it's body with very little to no effect.

"DIE ALREADY DAMMIT!" At that moment, the officer feels someone suddenly shoves him out of the way followed by the sound of loud gunshots and painful screams from the monstrous Grimm. "What the...?" Looking to see who shoved him, the officer sees a man with pale white skin, black hair, and red eyes. The man is holding a sword, which he is using to fire gunshots. This man...is Qrow himself.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?!" The officer shouted that the Branwen.

"Saving your ass." Qrow replied as his gunshots echoes with each pull of the trigger. "You don't use regular bullets against a Grimm. You're just pissing it off."

The officer watches as Qrow's gleaming gunshots hits the Grimm, seeming to pack enough force to make it stumble back, receiving more screams of pain as chucks of flesh is being torn off. But the one thing he notices most is that the Grimm's wounds, inflicted by the gunshots, are not regenerating! "Those are...Quicksilver Bullets. Then that means you're..."

"A huntsman. Yeah." Qrow replied to the officer, seeing that the Grimm is getting ready to charge. "You might want to move aside pal." At that moment, the hulking Beowolf charges at the Branwen, bearing it's fangs that are dripping with blood.

"Look out!" The officer shouted, which Qrow only smirks as he simply sidesteps to the left, avoiding a swipe from the beast, cutting off both it's right front and hind leg with a single one-handed swing of his sword. The Grimm's cries of pain elevates as it tumbles and falls to the ground hard.

The Branwen walks up the severely injured Grimm as it struggles to get up, it's severed limbs not regenerating. The Grimm looks up at the huntsman who now has the barrel of his gun aiming between it's eyes. "Heh. _Bad Luck_ for you." He smirks before pulling the trigger, the gunshot echoing throughout the town.

"Is...is it really dead?" The officer asked the huntsman, hoping that the beast won't jump back up.

Qrow places his sword on his lower back. "You have eyes, don't you?" He asked as he give the dead Grimm a slight kick. "See? It's dead." The officer let out a breath of relief before giving a nod and proceeds to clear the area of civilians before backup arrives.

Qrow looks back towards the Grimm lying lifeless at his feet, seeing the torn, tattered clothes on it's body. Unforgettable memories of _that night_ begin to flash through his mind. "Its just like..."

"Well well. You sure made quick work of this one." Came an alluring female voice. Qrow brings his attention to a young woman with long, wild, raven black hair, pale white skin, and red colored eyes. She has on a hooded black cloak that covers her attire underneath, with tattered cloths that look akin to black crowfeathers. This woman, of course, is Scarlet herself.

"You kept me from getting my hands dirty..." The Vileblood said as she nudges the lifeless Grimm with her foot. "...But at the same time you also stole all of the fun." _'Loss another one to the Grimm.'_

"Fun? I take it that you're a huntress." Qrow faces the the raven haired woman.

Scarlet gives a chuckle. "In a way, yes."

"Well in that case, sorry for stealing your shot at the spotlight." The Branwen responded with a small grin. He then takes note of Scarlet's attire. The black crowfeathered cloak seeming familiar to him. _'I'm having a case of deja vu here. Haven't I seen that before? Also, what the hell is this feeling I'm getting all of a sudden? It feels like I'm about to burn up inside.'_

"Oh please. I've done stuff like this plenty of times, I have enough spotlight as it is." The Queen waved it off. _'So this is Rav's twin brother. Wow, he grew up to be quite the looker. The last time I saw him, he had his head bashed against a rock.'_ "Say..." She continued as she places her hand on her hip, regaining Qrow's attention. "You're pretty cute. Wanna grab a few drinks and talk for a bit?"

Naturally, Qrow raises an eyebrow along with grin. This isn't the first time a woman asked him this. _'Damn'_ He swore in his thoughts. Scarlet doesn't look bad at all, but unlucky for Qrow, hes still on the job. "As much as I like to take up your offer, I'm busy at the moment. So I'll have to pass. Maybe the next time we meet, I'll have some free time on my hands." With said, Qrow causally put his hands in his pockets and proceeds on with his search. "Until then, see you around."

"What if I said that our little talk involved Ozpin and your dear sister?" Scarlet said, causing Qrow to turn around with a wide eyed expression. "How do you know them? Especially my sister?"

The Vileblood's grin grows to a small smile after seeing the expression on his face. "Do you have free time now?" She asks as she beckons him to follow her. "Come on. Let's have ourselves a few drinks and get to know each other. The name is Scarlet by the way. It's a pleasure to meet you."

* * *

Lestallum's tavern is quite large. Due to the size of the town that it resides in, it has to be able hold a good amount of the town's residence. Like any other tavern, it is occupied with travelers from other kingdoms or lands, and regular to occasional customers.

On the second floor of the tavern, Qrow and Scarlet sits at a table for two at the very back, isolating themselves from the rest of the crowd. Qrow finds himself staring intensely at his small glass of scotch that he is holding. The information Scarlet had just told him still running through his mind. Naturally, he had questions that received answers. And those answers received even more questions which also, of course, received more answers. Scarlet was careful about what information to tell and how much to give. Giving someone a portion is much better than giving an information dump. He already knows his share of complex stuff, she didn't want to overwhelm him with more.

"Ahh!" Scarlet let's out a sigh of relief after finishing her glass of scotch. "A nice cold drink is what I needed. But still, blood is far more intoxicating than alcohol. I still can't see how humans can become drunk so easily by this. I miss Yharman's pungent cocktails. That's one thing I miss about the city."

"So you and Ozpin think that whoever attacked the Fall Maiden is going to throw the world into a living _Nightmare_?" Qrow asked the Vileblood after recollecting himself. Scarlet responses with a nod. "Uh-huh."

"If that's the case, then I won't be surprised if it's Salem." Qrow said the sinister woman's name with a serious tone in his voice.

"Salem huh?" Scarlet repeated the name before taking another sip of her refilled glass of scotch. "She has been off the grid for a long, long time. And if it is her, more than likely she now has some additional lackies to do her dirty work." She looks over to the Branwen to see that he is keeping himself together pretty well. "You know, you're kinda surprising me right now Qrow. You seem to be handling this pretty well."

Qrow responses with a chuckle before taking drink of his scotch. "Oh trust me. This whole Nightmare thing is still quite a bit to take in. Hell, I shouldn't even be surprised knowing that the Maidens exist. And the crazy stuff that happened with that night with that other huntsman. Ozpin seems knows about that Grimm legend pretty well, but he never told us about this Nightmare. Also..." He looks down at the his left hand, gazing upon his pale complexion. "Tell me again who these _Vilebloods_ are? From what you told me, it makes it sound like they're some kind of vampires."

"That's because the concept of vampires were inspired the Vilebloods. Except we don't grow fangs to bit into peoples necks, we can't fly, we don't sleep in coffins, nor are we harmed by the sun or garlic. Seriously, who the hell came up with that dumb idea? Lastly, we don't necessary need to consume blood to sustain ourselves. We have the choice whether or not to do so." Scarlet told him. "But the one thing that whole vampire myth has in common with the Vilebloods is that we are stronger and faster than hu- regular people." Scarlet manage to catch herself on the last part of the sentence.

Qrow takes minute before responding. "You said that I'm...one of them. Part human and part...whatever they are."

"Yup. You're a half-blood."

"How do I know that what you're telling me is even true? That you're not just trying to screw with my head?" Qrow questions the Vileblood, not fully believing what she told him.

"Why so skeptical all of a sudden? You had no problem believing me about the other stuff."

"The other stuff is different. We're talking about me not being entirely human here." Qrow now has a sense of seriousness in his demeanor, thinking that the woman threw that in as a load of bull. Scarlet lets out a sigh as she sets her half empty glass on the table. "Okay. If you want me to prove it to you." She starts to slowly bring her right index finger up to her mouth, causing a confused look to appear on Qrow's face. Before he could say anything, Scarlet bites down on her own finger with a hard chomp, her blood slowly starting to run down her finger. She can feel the stinging pain from her own bite, but she doesn't seem to flinch at all.

"What the hell are you doing?!" Qrow exclaimed after seeing this, giving the woman a crazy look. Scarlet releases her finger, a small flow of blood bleeding out. "Now tell me Qrow. How does the sight of blood make you feel?"

"What the hell are yo-" The Branwen is cut off by a sudden sensation within him. It feels like a match has been lit inside him; a warm sensation beginning to course through his body. Scarlet sees the expression on Qrow's face along with his eyes starting to glow with a scarlet red hue.

The Queen let's out a chuckle. "How does it feel? Does it feel like a fire has been ignited inside the core of your being? The sudden spread of energy and adrenaline burning through your veins as it course your body? You can feel it, can't you? Like you're about to combust at any moment."

It's like she knows exactly how he is feeling right now. Qrow can feel his blood boil, as if fire is running through his veins. "Now. Look towards the window." Scarlet told him. When he did, his eyes grew wide when he sees his reflexion, seeing that they are glowing with a burning scarlet red hue. "Now you see?" Scarlet asked, regaining Qrow's attention, her red eyes glowing as well. "You're a Vileblood. Just. Like. Me." With that said, she puts her finger in her mouth as she sucks the blood off the bleeding wound. Taking it out, the bite on her finger is gone. Completely healed!

The Branwen shakes his head, trying to get a grip of himself. He knows that he can't deny what he just saw and felt. "So..." He begins. "Is this why you decided to train Raven? Because shes also one of you? In fact, does she even know?"

Scarlet's expression changes when Qrow mentions his sister. "No, I never told her. It's hard to tell someone about this kind of stuff, especially if they know completely nothing about it, like with you. When you two were attacked that night, your sister fought against beast the best way she could to protect you. Because of that, I saw potential in her. To be honest, she reminded me of myself when I was younger. That burning desire in her eyes to put up a helluva fight rather than lying down to die."

"Heh. Yeah, Rav can be pretty stubborn." Qrow let out a small chuckle as he recovers himself.

"I'm sorry Qrow." Scarlet's expressions sadden a bit as she apologies to the Branwen, who gives her a confused look in response. "Why are you apologizing to me?"

"I can't help but feel as if it's my fault that your sister is acting the way she is. You see, I gave her a choice."

"...And she chose to become a Cursed Hunter. One of you guys." Qrow replied in which Scarlet gives a nod. "I took her under my wing and taught her how to hunt like a hunter and how to fight like a Vileblood. I treated her as if she were my very own flesh and blood. I even taught her the law that our people always live by."

"...And that is?"

"Survival of the fittest. If you can't fight, you can't survive. Stuff of that nature. But it turns out that she was no stranger to that law, given your villages situation back then. I...assigned Raven to assist me on a hunt one night. And she...saw the Nightmare. After that night, I noticed that she was slowly beginning to change, then eventually...she disappeared."

"Hm. So that's why she left. What exactly did she see out there?" Qrow said to himself. "Raven...keeps in touch with me, whenever the time suits her. The last time I spoke with her, she told me 'The world will learn how to really stand on it's own two feet.' Do you know what shes planning?"

Scarlet shakes her head. "No, I don't. She told me the same thing during the last time we met. We both know that shes not one to spill the beans. So we can't expect her to make any slip ups." She then lets out a sigh. "Maybe if I hadn't came along that night but someone else did, things probably would've been different."

"No. If you hadn't came when you did, we won't be having this conversation right now." Qrow said as he leans back in his chair, holding his drink. "So in a way, I pretty much owe you one." He told her to lighten her gloomy mood. "I know my sister. Whenever she makes a decision, she sticks with it. So whatever shes doing now is not your fault." He then gazes down at his half empty glass of scotch, lightly twirling the beverage around in the glass. "This whole time, I thought her semblance was the reason why shes acting the way she is, knowing what it does."

 _'Her semblance...'_ Scarlet thought, remembering the capabilities of Raven's semblance. "Well I can tell you that her semblance isn't the cause of her actions." She told the Branwen as he sets his glass on the table and stands up from his chair. "Aww. You're leaving already?"

"In case you've forgotten, I still have a job to do and so do you. So for now, this is where we go our separate ways." He slides her a piece of paper on the table that has his contact. "We keep in touch."

"Hmm. So you're the type that like to fly solo." Scarlet says as she takes the contact.

"It's best this way. You know what they say about crows. They're bad luck."

Scarlet chuckles as she locks her fingers together, rest her elbows on the table and rests her chin on top of her hands. Slightly tilting her head to the side. "Isn't that ill-omen superstition also associated with ravens? Do you know the saying, 'When a raven cries, a man dies.'?"

The mention of said saying made Qrow think about Raven's semblance. Like him, it's the reason how she got her name. "Yeah..." He said as he is still in thought. "I have. And I know just how real that saying is."

"We both do." Scarlet said as she too stands up from her chair. "Anyway, since we'll be working together, there are a few _things_ I want to teach you. That's if you don't mind." Qrow raised an eyebrow. "Teach me?"

"Well..." Scarlet put her hand on her hip. "For one, you don't know how to use the power of your blood. So we need have that taken care of, prompto. With that in order, you can take on the toughest of enemies. Along with that, I'll gladly teach you little trick that will also come in handy. So, what do you say?"

 _'The power of my blood?'_ Qrow thinks as he looks down at the palm of his right hand. Something in his mind is urging him to accept Scarlet's offer. He is far from getting use to the fact that he isn't entirely human, but if he inherits some kind of inner strength or power by being of the Vilebloods, he has to see what it is. _'So Raven's former master is going to teach me huh? Hm, I guess I can spar some time.'_ "Alright" He speaks up, making eye contact with the Queen. "Where do I start?"

* * *

 **AN: Thanks for reading everyone. Again, I tried to keep the word count under 10k but I wouldn't be satisfied if I didn't put what I want out there. Anyway, I've done some research on the side, outside of RWBY, and based on what I found I've created what could be a possible semblance for Raven. It's obvious that Rooster Teeth based Qrow's semblance off of the superstition of crows. So Raven's semblance could be based off of superstition as well.**

 **I'm also in the process of making a semblance for Jaune. I completely have no idea of what kind of semblance he'll have. But I assume it'll be something that will play a huge in the story since they constantly hint that he is important. Kinda makes it seem that he'll be more important than Ruby. Now, I don't have a theory for this thought. But I won't be surprised if Jaune turns out to be a incarnate of some forgotten legend. I mean come on it's RWBY, a show that runs and base their characters on legends and fairytails. Anyway, thanks for reading and I'll see you in the next exciting chapter.**


	12. Ruby's Nightmare

**AN: Hello Hunters. Right now, I have a big grin on my face. Mainly because I finally got to a part of the story that I've been itching to write. I'm not gonna hold you guys any longer, so let's get this show on the road. Ladies and gentlemen, I'm proud to bring you Chapter 12: Ruby's Nightmare.**

 **Hope you enjoy.**

* * *

"...Ruby..." A distant female voice calls out to the young silver-eyed hunter. "Ruby" Now the voice is much louder, clearer, and also sounds very...familiar.

"Who's...calling me?" Ruby mutters to herself, clearly hearing the voice in her mind.

"Ruby. Open your eyes." The female voice calls out to her once again. This time Ruby recognizes the voice that is beckoning her. "M...Mom...?" Ruby let's out a tiresome groan as she slowly open her eyes to a blinding light. Her eyes adjusts shortly after, making her vision begin to clear. Ruby finds herself standing in a vast area that is very alien to her. Looking around, she doesn't see anyone or anything around her in the vast empty space. Looking up, she sees a clouded sky of grayish white as if a storm is rolling in. "Where...am I?" The Silver-eyed girl asks herself, not really having a answer to the question.

Taking a step forward, she hears the sound as if she stepped into a puddle. Looking down to see what she stepped in, her silver eyes widen when she sees that she is standing on top of water. At that moment she realizes that there is water all around her, a large body of it. Like shes standing in the middle of a great lake. Something about this place feels...weird. It feels as if shes in some kind of dream.

"Hello?" She shouts out hoping to get a reason. But all she receives is the echoing of her own voice.

"Ruby" Came her mother's voice again, calling out to her.

"Mom?" Ruby franticly looks around trying to catch sight of her mother. "Where are you?" She shouts out hoping to get a response. Eventually, she catches sight of a white figure standing in the distance. Without a second thought, she instantly takes off running towards the white figure, hearing her own racing footsteps run across the water's surface. She stops a few feet away from the figure. In front of her is a woman whose back is facing the silver-eyed girl. Ruby can't see the woman's face, but all she can see is the a hooded white cloak that she is wearing.

Slowly, Ruby starts to walk towards the woman who she strongly believes is her mother, reaching out her hand to touch her. Her mother, Summer, is standing a few feet away from her. She doesn't know what to make of this. She doesn't know if this is real...or just an illusion. "Mom? Is...that really you?" Ruby asks as she gets closer.

Just before she could get to her, moonlight shines in from the sky above, grabbing Ruby's attention. The grayish white clouds above have parted, revealing a night sky with the luminous shattered moon shining down upon the two. "Is that...the moon?" Ruby asks a question that is rhetorical. Suddenly, a bright blinding light begins to illuminate out of no where, forcing the silver eyed girl to shut her eyes tight as she shell her face with her hands.

Upon opening her eyes when the light finally fades, she finds herself standing in a village, a town filled with people that she doesn't even know. Men and women, both young and old, bustle the lit up streets of the village. Ruby, looking around with a wide eyed gaze and slack-jawed expression, can clearly hear the chatters of the people as well as the laughters of children who are running through the streets. The one thing Ruby notices that the people all have in common, is that they all have silver colored eyes, like her.

"Where is this place? Who are these people?" Ruby ask herself before deciding to interact with one of the people around her. "E-Excuse me? Um, ma'am?" She speaks out to a woman that is passing by but the woman doesn't seem to acknowledge her. "Excuse me? Sir?" She tried speaking to a man but received the same response as with the woman. In fact, no one around seems the realize Ruby being there at all.

"What's going on? They act as if...I'm even not here?" Ruby wonders as she looks up towards the night sky, seeing the shattered luminous moon. Upon seeing the moon, she notices something in the moonlight. Silhouettes of a group of four are standing on, what appears to be, red strings that forms a spider web large enough for all four to stand on. The mysterious individuals remain standing on the red strings above the village filled with Silver-Eyed Hunters, like predators watching their unsuspecting prey.

Ruby squints her eyes in a attempt to make out who these people are. "Who are-" Before she could finish her question, sudden images begin to flash before her eyes follow by a splitting headache. Ruby grimace as she immediately falls to her knees, grasping her head with both hands. Her silver eyes begin to give a white moonlight glow as these images continue. Unable to look away from these images, she is force to watch the people of the village being...slaughtered...by the group of four. The horrid blood-curdling screams, the sounds of weapons colliding, and the petrifying beastly roars of Grimm ring through Ruby's ear's. She covers her ears in a attempt to block out the screams but it did no good.

Her headache begins to crescent as the ghastly screams continue to echo within her head. Eventually, the screams ceases follow with her splitting headache melting away, a sense of relief washing over Ruby. A sense of relief she doesn't want to get use to. Then, the sound of fire crackling reaches her ears. Upon opening her eyes, she is greeted with the a grim scene. The village that she currently stands in is now engulfed in flames. Ruby's silver eyes widen as her mouth hangs open, completely shocked and terrified by the horrific scene. The raging flames around her burn as it consumes the village. Bodies laid sprawl on the village streets, displaying the carnage that had taken place. Nevermores soar the skies above the burning village while Grimm on the ground feast upon the dead bodies.

Ruby's breathing begins to become irregular as she starts to panic, the sight of the massacre becoming too much for her to handle. She then hears a flap from what sounds like a wing, follow by black feathers that gently fall from above.

"Are these...feathers?" She ask herself when one of the feathers lands in the palm of her hand. Her attention is then brought to the sight of a woman with long raven black hair wearing a Grimm mask and wielding a red muramasa blade, gracefully descends from the sky above with a giant black wing from the back of her right shoulder blade. The silver-eyed girl stares petrified, body completely frozen. The mysterious woman seems to be looking directly at Ruby. A black and red mist emitting from her body along with glowing red eyes underneath her mask, giving an appearance of a sinister demon.

For what felt like an eternity, the woman finally breaks eye contact with the girl. Therefore, turning around and seemingly walks through the raging flames, disappearing.

Ruby gasps as she wakes up in a cold sweat, finding herself gasping for air. Taking a moment to calm down and collect herself, she swipes the sweat from her forehead. "Guys..." She calls out to her team but she didn't get a response. "Weiss? Blake? Yang?" She looks over the edge of her dangling bed, expecting to see her team still asleep. But instead, they weren't there. They aren't even in the room.

"Where did they go?" Ruby ask herself as she drops down from her bed in her pajamas. She let's out a tiring yawn and stretch. She feels sluggish and a little sleep deprived. After rubbing her eyes from the scratchy sensation resulted of not getting a good nights sleep, she notices a note on the table. Upon picking it up, she recognizes her sisters hand writing on the piece of paper.

"Rise and shine sis!" The letter begins. "Me and the others have gone to the docks to meet up with the huntsmen we'll be shadowing today. You were having one heck of a dream. We tried waking you up but it only made it worse. We'll be waiting for you. And by the way, have you been working out behind my back? You have one heck of a punch for someone your size."

"Oh no!" Ruby let's out a gasp, snapping out of her half sleep state. "I completely forgot about the trip!" She quickly takes a look at her alarm clock, seeing that the time is 7:30 a.m. As she shuffles to get ready, she happens to look out the window and notice something...strange. It's still nighttime? "Huh? It's still dark out? But it's already mourning?" Ruby cocks an eyebrow at this strange phenomenon. Pushing it to the side, she rushes to get dress.

* * *

Ruby is now bolting down the grand hallways of the school, the mourning sun finally coming up as it shines through the grand windows. With her Crescent Rose and backpack strapped to her back, she runs as fast as her legs can carry her. In fact, she notices that her running feels a bit faster than usual. "I'm late! I'm so late!" She franticly says to herself. "If I'm gonna make it then I'll have to use my semblance! But..." She shakes her head, blocking out the second thoughts. "No buts! It's now or never!" With that, she takes off down the hallway with incredible speed. As she is bolting, she sees Rize walking a few feet in front of her. She knows that with the momentum she has know, it'll be hard for her to turn.

Doing the first thing that comes to mind, Ruby hits the brakes. "Rize! Watch out!" She shouts as she skids towards the raven haired girl.

"Huh?" Rize turns around, seeing Ruby skidding towards her. "What the..." Stepping to the side and hold out her hand, Rize manages to catch the skidding girl, stopping her from colliding into anything or anyone.

"Thanks Rize." Ruby thanks her friend with a breath of relief.

"Whoa Rose Petal. Who lit a fire under your ass?" Rize asks the silver-eyed girl as she helps her to her feet.

"Sorry" Ruby replies as she looks up at Rize. "I'm running-" At that moment, Ruby sees something from Rize that she can't explain, which causes her gasp. She sees a black and red mist around Rize, something that she didn't notice before. Along with that, she begins to feel a dark presence coming from it. _'What...is that?'_

"Hm? What's wrong?" Rize asks her, a look for concern showing on her face. As if snapping out of a trance, Ruby shakes her head while shutting her eyes. When she brings her gazes back to the young Vileblood, the mist is gone. _'Was it just my imagination?'_ Ruby thinks to herself before realizing that Rize has a concerned look on her face. "Y-Yeah, I'm fine."

Rize raises an eyebrow. "Are you sure?"

Ruby replies with a nod. "My team is waiting for me at the docks. So I'm actually in a hurry."

"That the docks huh? That's where I'm heading now. I forgot something back at the room, so I had to run and get it. Come on, let's go together." Rize told the silver eyed girl who replied with a nod before walking with her.

As the two walk down the grand hallways and carry on with their conversation, Ruby let's out a tiresome yawn. Rize took note at how many times Ruby had let out that same yawn. "That's the third time you've yawned Ruby. Did you get a good night sleep?"

"No, not really." Ruby rubs her eye. "I was having this weird dream."

"Oh really? Care to tell me what it was about?" Rize raises an eyebrow of curiosity.

"Well, it was...it was..." Ruby finds herself struggling to remember what the dream was about. She does remember little bits and pieces. Seeing her mother is one of them in particular, but everything else is hazy.

"Come on, give it back. I'm going to be late." Comes a familiar male voice. The girls attention is brought to Jaune, who is trying in vein to retrieve his backpack from the leader of Team CRDL, Cardin. Jaune gives the bully a fake laugh. "Okay, funny joke Cardin. Can I please have my bag back? I have to meet with my team."

Cardin gives a smirk. "Why? What's the rush? Don't you want to hang with your buddy Cardin?"

"Just give me back my bag!" Jaune raises his voice, getting tired of the bully's games. Cardin raise an eyebrow upon hearing Jaune's tone. "What are you going to do about it?" The bully ask with a push.

"It's that jerk again." Ruby said with detest for the individual clearly in her tone. Rize let's out an annoyed growl. "That's it, I've had enough of this shit. I'm getting involved." With that, she storms off towards the two men.

"Um, Rize? What are you going to do?" Ruby asks as she follows suit.

"Hey!" Rize shouts out to the bully, grabbing both his and Jaune's attention.

"Rize?" Jaune blinks with surprise, seeing her coming their way with Ruby following behind her. Jaune can immediately tell from the expression on her face that she is not amused.

"What do you want?" Cardin asks in a uninterested tone and expression.

"Does this arouse you?! Picking on someone who is smaller and scrawnier than you?" Rize raises her voice that the bully.

"Scrawny? Hey, I have musc- OW!" Jaune is forced to cut his sentence short due to Rize stomping on his foot.

"Arouse?" Cardin raises an eyebrow at the raven haired girl.

"Apparently it does! It makes you feel superior and in charge does it?! It hides the pathetic, insecure little man that you really are!" Rize insults the bully, which he doesn't seem to take a liking to. "What? Who do you think you're talking to?" The bully takes a step towards her. Rize steps back as she covers her nose with her right hand, her acute sense of smell picking up the faint scent of his breath.

"Argh, your breath! Did you eat something dead?! Don't stand too close to me!" Rize steps back again. Both Ruby and Jaune trying their best to hide their snickers which Cardin catches note of, now feeling offended. "Listen here you bi- AHHH!" The bully's insult is interrupted when Rize suddenly grabs him by the testicles, causing the bully to yelp in pain. Jaune instantly winces as he covers himself, even though his is not being targeted. Ruby on the other hand, covers her mouth with both hands, wearing a shocked expression.

"Well? Seems like I wasn't wrong. You really are a _little_ man." Rize said to the bully as she begins to tighten her grip, causing him to yelp in even louder pain.

"You...have...my-"

"I know what I have." The young Vileblood cut him off. "Now, what was that name you were gonna call me? You know, his team wanted to break your legs..." She motion towards Jaune. "...But I'm going to do them a favor by busting your balls. You're okay with that, right? Come on, say the word so I can break'em. But don't come crying to me when they're contacting you about you next of kin." Rize remains eye contact with Cardin, staring him dead in his eyes. "Now, would you kindly give my handsome knight friend his bag back?"

"Um Rize? I think that was a bit- Wait, handsome?" Jaune catches on to what she called him.

"H-Here. Just...let me go..." Cardin drops the bag which, in return, Rize let's him go. Without a second thought, the bully runs off in a awkward looking manner while holding himself.

"Here you go Jaune." Ruby hands the young man's bag back to him.

"Thanks guys, but I had it under control." Jaune told them as he takes the bag.

"Oh really? Jaune, that bastard wasn't going to give your bag back. And when you showed him that you actually have a pair, he took it as a challenge to chew you up. But anyway, I'll give you credit for..." Rize's sentence falls short as she begins to look at the blond hair man with at spaced out stare.

Jaune blinks with a look. "What? Is there something on my face?"

"Rize? Are you okay?" Ruby ask with concern as she nudges the girls arm. At that moment, Rize snaps out of her stare. "O-Oh sorry. Something, uh, came to mind so I spaced out. Anyway, we best get going. We've wasted enough time." She quickly changes the subject as she pushes the two along. _'Was I imagining things or did I just sense...'_

"Um, Okay? Hey, by the way, you called me handsome. Did you really mean that?" Jaune ask the raven haired girl as she is still pushing him and Ruby forward.

"It was a compliment Jaune, don't read too much into it."

* * *

"Hey guys. Sorry I'm late." Rize waves to her team as she approaches them on the dock were they are suppose to meet the huntsmen they'll be shadowing.

"You took your sweet time." Kazato crossed his arms with an unamused look. Rize gives a nervous

laugh as she rubs the back of her head. "Yeah, sorry about that. There was something I had to take care of."

"Well shes here now. So, where is the huntsmen we'll be traveling with?" Elisa asks as she looks around. As if on que, the team hears a female voice shouting out to them. "I'm here! Sorry I'm late!" Bringing their attention to the direction of the voice, they see Hope running their way.

"Ms. Valentine is the one we'll be shadowing?" Lucilia said with a slight look of surprise. Upon getting to them, the young silver haired woman is slightly panting with her hands on hers knees. "Good. You guys...are still here."

The team immediately notices the hooded black feathered clock Hope is wearing, indicating one thing. "Ms. Valentine? You're..." Elisa starts, which Hope gives a nod before the question is asked. "Yes. I'm part of the Black Wing Brotherhood, a Cursed Hunter. We don't have much time for discussions, so I'll make this brief." She said cutting to the chase, she seems to be in a bit of a frantic rush. "You three will be joining me on an assignment from the brotherhood. Since Lucilia's family is allied with the Black Wing Hunters, she can take part in this assignment. We are to go to the abandoned city known as Hashima. There, we are to find and capture a White Fang member known as Leon Mustang for interrogation. We'll meet up with Saya, one of the other hunters tasked with the assignment, and we'll go over the rest from there. Any questions?"

The team remains silence as their way of saying no.

"Good. Then let's get moving."

* * *

"Blake..." Lara mutters her daughter's name in her sleep as she rests at a cliff side. The cat fanus is currently tasked to go scout out the city of Hashima with two other hunters that are joining her to find and capture the leader of the White Fang, Adam Taurus. She is eventually pulled out of her sleep by her scroll ringing in her pocket. Pulling it out, she answers the call.

"Lara. It's time." Comes the voice of one of her comrades. It's Claire.

"Copy that. Are you and Scarlet on your way to our target's location?" Lara asks as she gets up from the ground and stands at the cliff's edge, over looking the forest covered land in front of her.

"We are..." Comes Scarlet's voice on the comm-link. "Remember our mission. We are to capture and interrogate Adam Taurus in order to find out why the White Fang are snooping around in the tombs. Don't let your personal emotions jeopardies our task."

"How about you mind your own business Scarlet." Lara response with a harsh tone, a little irritated from people trying to be her counselor.

"Ouch! Okay, I'll let you do you." Scarlet makes herself sound like shes backing off. "But remember this. You're not the only one here who has family they want to protect from the eldritch truth of this world. If we fail this task due to your poor judgment. Well, your daughter's well being will be the least of your worries."

"Is that threat suppose to scare me?" Lara response back without a hint of fear in her voice. She then hears a chuckle from the Queen. "Oh no, not the threat. It's the promise you should be afraid of."

"That's enough you two." Claire speaks up to interrupt their exchange of words. "Now is not the time for this. Listen Lara. I'm sure that you've notice as well as the hunters. Last night was longer than it normally should be, and we all know what that means. The first long night has already occurred, and from this point on they are going to get longer and the days are going to get shorter until eventually it's _that_ _night_ all over again. And if that happens then we'll have no choice be to fulfill the contract we've all signed. We've failed to catch the enemy the first time, so we CAN NOT afford failure on this mission. Scarlet and I are almost to our destination. You can begin reconnaissance."

"Copy that." With that being said, Lara hangs up the call. Before she can process to her next course of action, a sharp pain suddenly shoots up her right arm. Lara let's out a yell as she falls to her knees, clinching her arm in agonizing pain. The pain feels as if someone have droved a hundred needles into her arm. And the worse part about the pain is that its pulsating, as if it has it's own heartbeat.

Clinching her teeth from the pulsating pain, Lara looks over to her right arm, seeing a Grimm mist emitting from it. "You never learn, do you? It will be one helluva fight before I let you win. Now. Back. Off!" The fanus says the last word with a forceful tone, making the mist fade away along with the pulsating sharp pain in her arm. Now on her hands and knees, Lara instantly let's out a huge breath of relief. She then begins to think about what Saya told her a few days ago. _'You have to confront your fear. Confront your daughter and tell her what happened. Only then will you overcome your fear and guilt.'_ Those words continue to play through her mind as she manages to get to her feet.

"You forget one thing Saya. That's IF she forgives me." With that, Lara places her right index finger and thumb in her mouth and let's out a loud whistle that echoes. Shortly afterwards, a loud screech echoes through the air. A Nevermore, with a glowing red brand on it's face, appears from the skies above as it makes it's way towards the cliff side. Timing her jump correctly, Lara leaps off the edge of the cliff and lands on the Grimm's back as it is passing. With that, she processes to her destination.

* * *

Team RWBY is currently walking the dirt roads of the outside world of Remnant. The huntsmen the girls are shadowing on their journey is Professor Alexander Clark. Even though he still hasn't completely recovered from his _sickness_ , Alexander managed to convince Ozpin that he is still capable of taking on the task of watching over Team RWBY. The five are currently on route to meet a traveling merchant in a town who requested an escort to safely get them to their destination.

While the group is conversing with one another, mainly Weiss, Blake, and Yang, Ruby lags behind the group walking at a slower pace. She becomes deep in thought as her mind begins to think back to the dream she had, more like, trying to remember what it was about. Slowly, but gradually, little bits and pieces of the first half of the dream begin to resurface, but it still isn't enough for Ruby to make sense of what she remembers of the dream. But the one part that constantly stays on her mind, is the one of her mother standing in front of her.

"The sun is finally coming up huh?" Yang says when she sees the sun rising over the horizon.

"I wonder why it was still dark out even thought it was way pass 6:00 in the mourning?" Weiss throws the thought out there that everyone is most likely thinking. Yang shrugs her shoulders. "Who knows? Day light savings, I guess?"

"Day light savings is when the days get longer and the nights get shorter. Last night had an extra hour and a half, a bit longer than what it use to be." Blake told the brawler.

"Okay? So what we had a extra hour and a half of darkness? That's nothing to be really concerned about. What do you think of this Ruby?" Yang asks her little sister who is still deep in thought. "Hey Ruby!" The brawler gives her sister a playful slap on the back, snapping her out of her thoughts and knocking a bit of breath out of her. "You've really quiet the whole time. Are you okay?"

"Y-Yeah, I'm fine." Ruby responds back.

"Are you sure?" Blake questions her. "Earlier, it looked like you were having a pretty bad nightmare."

"Yeah, what was it about?" Weiss asks with curiosity and concern.

"It was nothing guys. Really..."

"Bullshit" The brawler said with a hair flip. "You punched me. So you're gonna tell us what that dream was about." Yang gives the silver eyed girl a look, determined to get the answer she wants out of her.

"Wait? I...punched you?" Ruby repeats back with a confused look. "When did..."

"In your sleep when she tried to wake you up. It was strong enough to knock her off her feet." Blake answers her question before its asked. Ruby immediately gasp as she looks to her sister getting ready to apologize.

"Don't worry about it." Yang holds up a hand to stop her. "Just tell us what the dream was about."

"Well..." Ruby begins. "I don't...remember much about the dream. But I do remember seeing...my mom."

"Mom huh?" Yang said to herself, her expression starting to change. Even though Summer wasn't her biological mother, Yang still has a daughterly love for her. "I understand how you feel Rub. I miss her too. But I don't-"

"No, it wasn't that kind of dream Yang." Ruby shakes her head as she cuts her sister off. "This dream was...weird. At first, I hear mom's voice calling out to me. Then I end up in a weird place that I can't even explain."

"Memories of deceased loved ones can often conjure confusing or unpleasant dreams." Comes Alexander's slightly ill sounding voice along with a cough. "I know, for I have them from time to time."

"You...lost someone too Professor Clark?" Ruby asks the middle-aged man. As a response, Alexander takes off his golden pendant from around his neck and hands it to Blake. "Here. Open it." Doing as she is told, Blake opens the pendant revealing two small photos. The one on the left showing a beautiful woman with blond hair and the one on the right showing a little girl with the small blond hair as well."

"Aw!" Team RWBY said in unison upon seeing the photos, especially the little girl's.

"I take it that this is your family, right?" Blake asks the huntsman in which he nods. "The one on the left is my late beautiful wife. Her name was Alexis. We lost her to a rare illness last year." He told them with his tone sounding grim, but it eventually picks up when he moves on to the little girl. "The next one is my sweet adorable little angle. Her name is Alicia. After her mother died, I took her to the town of Lestallum to live with my brother and sister-in-law for awhile. Since I'm a huntsman, I won't be able to..." His sentence is interrupted by another one of his occasional coughs. "...provide for her all the time."

"Lestallum. You picked a good place for her." Blake said to the huntsman as she hands him back his pendant.

"You know of the place Blake?" Ruby asks.

"I use to live there for a little while with my..." Blake starts to trail off for a bit but catches herself. "The town is protected with it's own wall and task force. It's considered to be the safest town outside the kingdoms."

"I wish...that were absolutely true..." Alexander said with his coughing mingling with his speech. He manages to control his coughing before continuing. "I just recently received word from my brother that a Grimm somehow managed to get in. Luckily, a huntsman was there to take care of it, but not before it already claimed a few victims." He lets out another cough. "Thank the gods that my little Alicia wasn't in harms way. I took her there so that she'll be safe from those damned beast." Alexander's last words had a hint of anger in them when he refers to the Grimm. "Just the thought of her being-" His speech is once again abruptly interrupted by another coughing fit along with a sharp pain in his chest. Alexander grimace as he hills over and clinches his chest from the pain.

"Professor Clark?" Weiss said the man's name as all except Ruby went to his aid. "Are you okay?!"

"I knew it! He shouldn't have came out here!" Yang said sounding a little frantic, seeing that he coughed up a bit of blood.

"Professor, we're taking you back to Beacon!" Blake said with worry clearly in her voice. Alexander shakes his head rejectingly. "No, that won't do. We are given an task to complete."

"B-But your health!" Weiss questions.

"Professor Clark!" Both Blake and Yang shout in protest.

"We are huntsmen!" Alexander raises his voice at the girls. "We are humanities defenders, their shield! We do this for the sake of our kingdom and the ones we want to protect!" The girls step back as he manages to get on his feet. "For me, I'm not doing this just for my kingdom, I'm doing it for my daughter. I can not bear to lose her too. I'll gladly sacrifice my life for her. I'm not going to let my health prevent me from fulfilling my duties as a huntsman." With that said, he takes out a medicine bottle containing purple tablet pills. After popping two in his mouth and drinking some water behind it, the pain in his chest begin to fade away and his coughing starts to settle down.

Ruby, watching from a few feet away, stares wide eyed by what her eyes are allowing her to witness. She sees a black and red mist emitting from Alexander's body, the same mist she have seen from Rize. Not only that, she also sees the very same mist around her sister, but it seems thicker than Alexander's, and a faint one around Blake. "What...is that?" Ruby doesn't know what to think of what she is seeing. She eventually snaps out of it when she hears Yang calling out to her. "Hey Ruby! Let's go!"

"O-Oh, coming!"

* * *

After two miles of walking, the five come across a hill that over looks an old city in the distance. Given the deserted, decaying appearance of the city in front of them, its obviously abandoned. But what caught the group's eye the most is the massive factory that seems to sit in the middle of the deserted city.

Weiss looks at the map, certain that they weren't going to come across any settlements any time soon. "What is this place? According to the map, the next town is another mile or so."

"This is the abandoned city of Hashima." Alexander answers the heiress's question.

"Hashima?" Yang raises an eyebrow. "I've never heard of that name."

"That is because, sadly, the city has been forgotten." Alexander told her. "Cities like Hashima are remnants of the great war. The factory you see in the distance was used to manufacturer weapons. The city was built around it to provide living quarters for the workers and their families. This also included schools, markets, hospitals, daycares, etc. Everything to help the residence live a settle life. Due to the increased Grimm activity because of the war, the city was eventually overrun by Grimm, forcing the residence to flee and leave everything behind."

"Man. That's...rough." Yang replies with a sympathetic tone, magining what it must've been like for the residence of Hashima.

"Are we going through?" Ruby asks.

"The city is too large to go around. So going through would be our best choice and it'll save time." Alexander told the silver eyed girl.

"Are you sure that it'll be safe? Abandoned cities are usually home to Grimm." Blake asks the huntsman.

"For us to get to our destination we'll have to travel through the city. I can't guarantee that we won't run into any Grimm along the way, so let's make it our best interest that we don't become prey." Alexander told the team which he receives a 'Yes sir' as a response before proceeding down the hill to enter the deserted city.

While walking the empty deserted streets of Hashima, the five are greeted by the usual eerie silence of the city. As they walk, they can see the degrading city is littered with left behind tracts of past residence. The most noticeable being the left behind are deteriorating vehicles. Old decaying buildings that look to be business stores and housing units with busted windows. Materials such as cooking ware and hardware tools looks as if they are ancient relics left behind, littering the streets along with the debris of the crumbling, decaying buildings around them. Another thing that is eerie about the city, is that there is no other signs of life. No vegetation nor animals, it all just seems...dead.

"This place is starting to give me the creeps. I mean, it's an actual ghost town." Weiss says as she stays on high alert, remaining vigilant. She then hears the sudden sound of something hitting an object, causing her to immediately jump onto the defensive with her Myrnaster. "What was that?!" She asks franticly.

"Oops, sorry. Kicked a can." Yang apologized with a nervous laugh.

"Grr, you are killing me here Yang! Are you TRYING to give me a heart attack!" The heiress yells at the brawler, her heart feeling like its about to jump out of her chest.

"Hey guys! Come check this out!" Blake calls out to the group from a distance. When the group reaches her, they see why she called them over. In front of them is a lifeless body of a Grimm. But that isn't the only body she found, ahead of them are numerous more dead bodies of Grimm.

"Okay. We know that we definitely didn't do that." Yang points out the obvious upon seeing this.

Alexander kneels down to inspect the corpse in front of them. "The body has yet to deteriorate. Its a fresh kill." He says as he stands back up.

"Then that means..." Ruby starts.

"More than likely, we're not the only ones he-" Before Alexander can finish his words, his voice gets drown out by a loud humming sound coming from the sky above, follow by a gigantic shadow appearing over the group. Looking up, they see a airship slowly passing overhead, watching the aircraft as it lands near the abandoned factory.

"Whats...an airship doing here?" Ruby asks to no one in particular.

"Something doesn't seem right about that airship." Alexander said with a hint of suspicion in his voice. "I didn't see a logo on the aircraft depicting which kingdom its from. And if it did, why would anyone come to a old decaying city like Hashima, especially which a cargo ship." Alexander's suspicion about the airship begins to grow even more.

"What do we do?" Blake asks the huntsman.

Alexander takes a moment to think of their next course of action. Their task is to meet and escort their client. But also as huntsmen, they must also report anything that seems suspicious. Plus, he has a group of girls with him that are inexperience. He has to think of their safety first. "We'll go investigate and report what we find to Professor Ozpin. We will NOT engage what so ever. There is no telling what we may find. Understood?" With that being said, he receives a nod from the team before proceeding on.

* * *

Upon getting to the site where the airship landed and crouching behind a crate, the group find themselves within the vicinity of the massive factory. And also within the area are people wearing black and white uniforms along with masks, carrying rifles as they patrol in columns.

"Who are they?" Ruby whispers to the group.

Blake lets out a silent gasp as her eyes widen, the uniform of the people being very familiar to her. _'What are the White Fang doing here?!'_

"What are they doing here?!" Weiss said blurts out in a low tone, as if she read Blake's thoughts.

"You know who they are?" Yang asks the heiress, which earns her a look. "You mean to tell me that you don't know about the White Fang?!"

"Who are the White Fang?" Ruby ask confused.

"A group made solely of fanuses." Alexander told her. "A terrorist group that is said to harbor a deep hatred towards humans, due to racism and harsh criticism towards their kind." Blake begins to lower her gaze. What Alexander says is true about the White Fang, it is the main reason why the Fangs have become corrupted from what they use to be

"They say that so you can have sympathy for them." Weiss speaks up. "In reality, they don't care about anyone else but themselves. They lie, steal, cheat, and kill. Every single one of them are animals."

Blake immediately shoots the heiress an intense gaze fueled with anger from the corner of her eye. Its taking everything she has to hold her tongue. Among everything Weiss said, that last word, that _name_ , is a name that her kind really, really detest.

Just then, the cargo hold of a few bulkheads opens up, revealing human-size robots, sentinels carrying rifles as they too form columns while marching out of the bulkheads.

"Are those...robots?" Yang squints her eyes to get a good look at the sentinels.

"Wait..." Weiss says as she recognize the robots. "Those belong to Atlas! They stole them-"

"Duck your heads!" Alexander demands in a low voice of his own, him and the girl hiding behind the crate they are at. A loud clinking can be heard as it begins to get closer and closer to where the group is. Looking over the crate just a bit, the group sees a large bipedal mech standing in front of the crate that they are hiding behind. The large weapon only has two legs that allows it to move, a Gatling gun can be seen just below the main body and it has a total of four rocket launchers. One on each shoulder and leg.

"What...is that?" Ruby ask with a eye widen gaze.

"Thats a Magitek Armor." Weiss answers as she gazes at the weapon intensely, hoping that it won't find them.

"Magitek? Why is it called that?" Yang asks the heiress, thinking the name sounds a little weird for a huge battle mech."

"It's in the name. The machine is powered of Dust, magic." Weiss told her.

"I've heard rumors that the Atlas military are searching for new ways to create weapons to further increase their military superiority. Some believe that they are aiming to grow into an empire. I won't be surprise if that is true, given how ambitious Atlas can be." Alexander told the girls.

After scanning the area and finding nothing, the Magitek Armor eventually proceeds on, causing Team RWBY to let out a breath of relief.

"Everything is clear Brother Taurus." Comes a the voice of a White Fang member.

 _'Taurus?'_ Blake immediately looks back over the crate, catching sight of a very familiar face. Adam Taurus.

"Good. I don't want this operation to be disturbed. If you see anyone or anything that isn't with the White Fang, kill them on sight." Adam gives the order receiving a 'Yes sir!' from the member.

 _'Adam? Hes here?'_ Blake watches Adam with shock and surprise as he disappears into the factory. She also takes note of large wooden crates being loaded onto the airships, this causes her to wonder. ' _He said operation. What are they planning? Is it an attack?'_ Blake thought when she adds the stolen Atlas weaponry into the equation. Numerous speculations begin to rush through her mind. In truth, it isn't the White Fang itself that Blake is concerned about, it's Adam. Knowing his choices of action and mindset, the possibility of Adam using these weapons for that purpose seems highly likely, and the thought of it scares her.

 _'Adam Taurus is here. If hes here, then there is a high chance that Leon Mustang is as well. Those two are a combination that isn't good for one's health.'_ Alexander begins to feels his naughty cough coming back as he tries his best the hold it back. _'Damn. Speaking of health, it looks like my medicine is wearing off. We're not up for this. We have to leave. Now.'_

Before Alexander could tell Team RWBY that they're leaving, Blake suddenly takes off running from the group. "Ms. Belladonna!" Alexander calls out to the fanus while trying not to shout. His coughing fit hits him again, causing him the hill over as he starts to cough up something black in the palm of his hand.

"Guys, I'll go after Blake. You take care of Professor Clark." Yang told her teammates before chasing after the fanus.

"Right! Ruby, get his medicine!" Weiss said frantic, trying to keep her voice down as low as she can. The silver eyed girl nods vigorously as she search Alexander's pockets of his medication, all the while trying her best to ignore the black and red mist appearing from his body once again.

* * *

Blake hides behind a metal storage container, peeking around it's corner catching sight of Adam again. She sees the White Fang leader standing on a second level platform outside of the factory, and with him she also sees another familiar face. Leon Mustang.

"Leon is here too? I figured as much." Aside from those two, she notices a third person standing on the platform with them. Due to the person wearing a beige colored cloak, she can't see their face.

"So, Cinder..." Leon speaks to the woman with his thumbs in his pockets, as usual. "It's been a while. I see that you still have that grand prize of a body. Once this is all over, how about you and me go off somewhere and have some fun."

"Leon" Adam says the lion fanus's name with a his usual all business tone.

"What? I can't say hi to the chick?" Leon said in defense.

"I see that you haven't changed at all Leon. Still eager to unleash your raging hormones onto any _unfortunate_ female you get your hands on." Cinder, leaning against the railing with her arms crossed, didn't seem to take offense to Leon's suggestive language towards her.

Leon gives a chuckle. "The hell you mean by _unfortunate_? For a prize like yourself, I'll give you a helluva ride that is 20x better than the others."

Cinder let's out a chuckle of her own. "You really do take after a lion, don't you Leon? Bold and fearless, I'll give you that. But I'll have to pass, for your sake. Also..." She says as her eyes starts to glow with a fiery hue. "Do remember who you're talking to."

Leon raises an eyebrow with a grin. "Ooo. I like'em dangerous."

"Leon, go check on the progress in section 2. We need to talk in private." Adam orders the lion fanus who gives a nod. "Can do." With that Leon walks off, leaving the two alone.

"We're nearly finish loading your cargo and will be shipping out in the next hour." Adam says as he maintains his all business tone.

"Well, thats good to hear. I kept up my end of the deal, it's nice to see that you're keeping up yours." Cinder replies with a grin as she looks out towards the abandoned city. "Once you're finish, you will take it straight to the forgotten ancient city of Yharnam. There, you will give the cargo to a man name Micajah. If he is not there to receive the delivery, his followers will gladly take it in his place."

"What is it that you're planning?" Adam throws the question without a second thought. "These _materials_ that are in the crates. What do you need them for?"

Cinder let's out a small sigh. "Don't tell me Roman's paranoia got to you. You said that you wanted to get back at the humans for how they treated your kind. I told you that this will allow you to achieve that goal. So don't worry about the details. We're business partners. I do a favor for you, you do a favor for me. In the end everyone wins. Besides, we are making _progress_." She says as she looks up towards the sky.

"Fine. But just so we're clear, I don't fully trust you. So if you think that we are your clueless pawns, then you're sorely mistake." Adam said bluntly.

"Trust huh? That is such a big word and the hardest thing to earn or regain. Luckily, I not interested in winning your trust." Cinder tells the fanus. "Its because I'm a human, isn't it? Thats the main reason why you don't trust me. Well, if I can recall, _she_ is a human as well. Yet you trust her completely. In fact, the word trust is an understatement in this case. You're loyal to her, aren't you? You say that you hate humans, yet you're loyal to one. Not only is that contradicting, but also hypocritical-"

"What do you know?" Adam cuts her off. "She is the reason why I have the sense of purpose I have now. Along with that, she gave me the strength I have now to fulfill my goals."

"I see. The 'Do what you think is right' mindset." Her scroll begins to ring, notifying her that she received a message. Checking her scroll, she sees that it is from Blood, one of Salem's children. The message reads: "We have visitors."

"It seems that my associate has found something that they want to share with me. It's been nice doing business with you Adam. I'll contact you when there is another _favor_ I need." With that being said, the two went about their separate ways.

"Who was that he was talking to?" Blakes asks herself, not being able to hear a word they said but can assume that they were having a conversation.

"Blake!" Yang calls out to the fanus as she runs towards her, gaining her attention.

"What are you doing?! You need to be with Ruby and the others!" Blake told the brawler, displeased that she ran after her.

"Don't give me that crap! I should be asking you that same question!" Yang places a hand on her hip, also displeased that Blake ran off. "You just took off running without a word! Whats the big idea?!"

Right when Blake part her lips to answer, they suddenly hear a screeching sound from above. Looking upwards, they see a Nevermore flying in the air above the factory.

* * *

"How are things looking Lara?" Comes Claire's voice from Lara's scroll. Using her sharp eyesight, enhanced by both her fanus heritage and Grimm, Lara looks down upon the vicinity of the factory. "The White Fang are using the old factory as their temporary garrison. Looks like they're still in the process of loading. Along with that, they seem to be using the stolen Atlas weaponry to make sure no one or nothing disturbs them."

"So thats where Atlas's expensive little toys went." Comes Scarlet's voice through the comm-link.

"Going over the terms of extra hands, you said that your sister Trish will be assisting us shortly, right Claire?" Lara asks the Arcana.

"That is correct. Even though Saya and Hope are the city, they will be quite a distance from us. We'll need extra hands in case the situation escalates...like last time." Claire said the last part in a low tone, remembering the unexpected tragedy that cost them a great deal of hunters. The comm-link went quiet for a moment before Lara breaks the silence. "Scarlet, you said that someone you know will be assisting us. Who are they?"

"Oh just a friend I made recently. Hes quite the fighter."

"You better hope hes tough enough to survive when shit hits the fan." Lara says as she continues to observe the area shes flying over. Just then, she catches a glimpses of something that caught her attention. Down below, she can see two young females standing behind a metal storage container, as if they're hiding. Lowering the Nevermore a little bit to get a better look of the two, Lara doesn't believe what she sees. She sees her daughter, Blake, looking up at the Nevermore as it flies in a circle above them.

 _'T-Thats...Blake! What is she doing here?!'_ The fanus thought franticly. Lara can feel her heart about to jump out of her chest when she sees her daughter's face. While she is still stuck in her shocked gaze, one of the Atlas Magitek Armors in the vicinity locks on to the Nevermore and opens fire at it. Lara is snapped out of her gaze by a pulsating sensation within her gut, a warning from her Grimm. Soon after, a storm of bullets and missile comes flying at Lara's Nevermore.

"SHIT!" Lara swears as she has the Nevermore perform quick maneuvers to avoid getting hit. Eventually, one of the missiles hits the Nevermore's left wing, blowing it off. The Grimm screams in agonizing pain as it rapidly descends towards the factory, spiraling out of control. "SON OF A BITCH!"

"Lara, whats happening?!

"Lara!"

Both Scarlet and Claire call out the fanus's name. All they hear is a loud crash right before her comm-link disconnects. Back on the ground, both Blake and Yang were a little shocked at what they just seen, "Whoa, they just shot down a Grimm." Yang said, seeing that the Nevermore crashed into the side of the factory.

"Send a unit up there. Make sure that its actually dead." Said the voice of a White Fang member follow by the marching footsteps of the sentinels.

"Blake, we have to get back to the others." Yang told the fanus who shakes her head rejectingly. "No, you head back. I'm going forward."

"What? Why?" Yang starts to question.

"I don't have time to explain, just go!" With that being said, Blake uses her cat-like mobility to climb a nearby scaffolding to reach a higher platform.

"Blake, wait!" Yang yells out to the fanus. Blake looks back at her without saying a word before running off toward the factory.

* * *

"They just shot down a Grimm." Weiss pointed out what she, Ruby, and a sickly Alexander just saw.

"I have a feeling that it was the White Fang that killed all those Grimm earlier. They don't want anyone or anything interrupting them." Alexander said with a cough, his coughing fit began to settle down but not completely.

"Ruby. Behind you." A disembodied female voice calls out to Ruby. This voice sounds very familiar, she heard it before in her dream. "Mom?"

"Turn around. Quickly." Her mother's voice says to her again. Unsure of what to really make of this, Ruby did exactly what the voice told her and turns around. Upon turning around, she sees some type of creature standing a few feet from her and the group. The creature looks to be a cross between an wolf and a machine. It has black plating on it's body and a green glowing blade at the end of it's tail .

"Um, guys!" Ruby grabs the others attention as she draws out her Crescent Rose in scythe form.

"What the- Is that...a bio weapon?!" Weiss immediately recognizes the wolf-like creature. Alexander draws out his Hunter Axe as he tries to stand. The moment he does, his feels his body starting to shake, free from his control. The world around him begins spin as he falls to the ground.

"Professor Clark!" Weiss yells as she knees beside him. She can see that his body is spasming uncontrollably, his eyes are moving rapidly, and he is starting to drool at the mouth. "No! You gonna be kidding me!"

"What's wrong with him!" Ruby asks franticly as she faces the cybernetic wolf.

"He's...He's having a seizure!"

"A seizure? But why?"

"You think I know the answer to that?!" Weiss starts to become frantic, she completely has no idea on what to do about a seizure.

Things are getting bad really quickly. And with Alexander unable to fight, its left to Ruby to confront the wolf. "Tell her to turn him on his side, it'll eventually pass." Ruby hears her mother's voice again. Still not sure of whats going on, she complies. "Weiss, try to turn him on his side! It'll pass!"

"Uh, okay I'll try!" Weiss manages to turn Alexander onto his side, the saliva leaking from the side of his mouth.

Ruby tightens the grip on her Crescent Rose, she knows what she has to do. "Go" Her mother's voice speaks to her again. Ruby takes off towards the wolf, readying her weapon.

"Ruby wait! It's not like a regular animal!" Weiss shouts out to the silver eyed girl, knowing that its physical capabilities such as speed and power are increased due the cybernetic enhancements.

The wolf uses it's agility to dodge and avoid Ruby's attacks with ease, no matter how hard or fast she swings her scythe. The wolf then dodges Ruby's last swing by jumping back and throwing a few green glowing knifes at the young huntress with it's tail.

"Deflect them with you weapon." Came Summer's voice again. Doing as she is told, Ruby twirls her scythe around, deflecting each and every one of the knifes. The silver eyed girl's eyes widen from shock after witnessing what she did. It felt like it was...second nature. Seeing that it's attack didn't work, the wolf leaps onto the side of a wall and jumps at the silver eyed girl, knowing that she won't be able to withstand the impact from it's weight.

Ruby gasps with a wide eyed expression when she sees the wolf flying towards her. "I-I can't stop that!"

"Don't be afraid. Push it back." Summer's voice instructed her. Holding up her scythe in front of her, Ruby braces herself as the wolf collides with the handle of her Crescent Rose. She was expecting for the impact to immediately knock her off her feet and to look up to find the wolf standing over her. But surprisingly, she is able to hold her ground against the impact of the cybernetic wolf. Using strength she never knew she had, she pushes the wolf off of her, causing it to slide a few feet back when it lands.

"How did I..." Ruby gawks in awe that what she have done.

Alarmed by the young girl's strength, the wolf jumps up onto a nearby platform and let's out a loud cybernetic howl.

"W-What's it doing?"

* * *

Just outside the perimeters of the city of Hashima, Qrow stands on a hilltop that over looks the abandoned city.

"According to the leads Scarlet and I have found, the White Fang have been snooping around old abandoned cities and other strange places as of late. And they're always seen hauling some kind of cargo. One would think that it's Dust more than likely. But there haven't been a single news complaint recently about the Fangs stealing any. Which brings the question. What is it that their hauling?"

Qrow begins to think as he taps his shoulder lightly with the blunt side of his sword. "Scarlet and Oz believe that whoever attacked the Fall Maiden also stole a portion of a catalyst from the Arcana family. And apparently this catalyst can be used for some kind of ritual. A ritual that can bring about the end of the world." He activates the tracker on his scroll, pin pointing Scarlet's location within the city.

"Heh, looks like she beat me here." Just then, an alarm sounds out from the city, indicating that a fight is about to go down. "Looks I came just in time for the party." Qrow smirks as he grips the handle of his sword. "Time for this old crow to spread his new wings."

* * *

 **AN: Thanks for reading everyone. If you haven't alright, please favorite or follow this story to show support. It would really me in times when I'm dragging or have a sudden drop in motivation.**

 **As for the city I named Hashima, I based it off an actual location in the world called Hashima Island. The island was used for mining over in southern Japan. A city was built on the island for the workers and their families, but was then abandoned when the mines ran out of materials. So I thought it would be a good idea to use when creating this location.**

 **Anyway guys, thanks for reading and I'll see you in the next chapter.**


	13. Careening into Danger

**AN: What's up my fellow hunters! You guessed it, I'm back with another chapter. Now, this author's note will be me answering a question a guest recently asked me in reviews. So you don't have to read this. For those of you who are skipping ahead to the story, I hope you enjoy.**

 **Now on to the question I was asked. What happened to Blazblue: Knight of Souls? First off guest, if you were a past reader who was reading the story, then I'm sincerely sorry that the fic was discontinued. But if you saw me talking about it on my profile and became curious, well, here is your answer. Blazblue: Knight of Souls was a collaboration fic between me and my cousin. It was my very first fanfic. The major issue I believe that caused the fic to be abandoned was because my cousin and I weren't in sync. So things were working out. We're two different kinds of writers.**

 **As you all have seen from me, I'm the kind of writer who likes to do big and life changing events, but I also like to flesh characters out, especially when there is an OC involved in the plot. I want my readers to enjoy reading my OC as much as they enjoy reading the canon characters. My cousin, from what I've seen, is different. Hes the kind of writer that focuses on going from point A to point B and doesn't seem to bother showing minor events that build up to the major ones. And he'll try to gives the readers a recap of the minor events which isn't a good idea.**

 **The second issue was the reader's attitude towards his OC named Nolan. Some made it clear that they didn't like him. They said he was mysterious, boring, and a Mary-sue. One of the reasons was because Nolan was constantly calm and collected no matter what threat or situation was thrown at him. Plus, it seemed that he was playing quarterback for the Blazblue cast, always having a plan no matter what situation occurs and he never seems to react to anything. But the main reason was that Nolan was automatically buddy-buddy with the cast at the very beginning of the story without telling the readers why. My OC in the story was Elisa. Yes, it's the same Elisa in this story, I just had to do some little changes so that she could fit in the world of Remnant. The reader's didn't seem to have a problem with her because she started as a complete stranger to the cast and I was fleshing her out. I clearly saw the aspects in Nolan that the readers didn't like, but I didn't know how to put it in words so that my cousin won't get salty about it. So I kept my mouth shut. Eventually he started procrastinating on his chapters and always had some bullshit excuse. So after saying some words, I cut him loose and deleted the story.**

 **And that's what happened, I tried to keep this as short as I could. I thought about doing a reboot but I decided not to. Mainly because the Blazblue community is dead over there. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter.**

* * *

Within the abandoned industrial factory of Hashima, Team KREL find themselves engage in combat with members of the White Fang and a few Sentinels. After knocking out a White Fang member, Elisa, wearing her black feathered cloak and crow mask, throws her gunblade, Cerberus, at a nearby Sentinel. The moment before the blade hits it's target, the young hunter appears with her art of quickening and impales the Sentinel through the chest as she takes it down.

She then notices another Sentinel standing behind her, having it's gun trained at her. Before it could pull the trigger, a red flash appears abruptly along with the Sentinel's right leg becoming missing. The Sentinel falls the concert floor with a loud crash due to it's weight no longer being balance.

"Hey, doesn't this belong to you?" Rize, also wearing her Black Wing Hunter outfit, asks the downed Sentinel while holding up it's missing leg that she cut off, tossing it to the side. "Elisa!"

"Uh-huh!"

Without saying another word, the two sisters simultaneously jump with a spin, coming down on the Sentinel with their blades to deliver the finishing blow. "We're on the same page!" Elisa says cheerfully to her sister with a thumbs up in which Rize responses with a chuckle.

While the two are fighting as a pair, Kazato fights off his share of transgressors. Twirling his Burial Blade while in scythe form, cutting down any Sentinels that dare stands in his way. Lucilia, also handling her share of attackers, catches sight of her team leader taking on two Sentinels by himself, which he cuts down one of them. In a attempt to help him, she uses her Rakuyo, Vulcanus Sangre, to cut a long steel pipe in half, creating a sharp tip on one end. Upon putting her Rakuyo back in it's black casing, Lucilia takes the steel pipe, which is long enough to be used as a lance, in both hands before taking off towards the raven haired boy. "Kazato!" She yells out his name in her British accent.

Upon cutting off both of the Sentinel's legs by pulling his scythe back, acting as a reverse guillotine, Kazato brings his attention to see Lucilia running towards him with the pipe in her hands. Without saying a word, Kazato holds out his scythe which Lucilia jumps and lands on the handle.

"Have a nice flight!" He says before hauling the Arcana into the air. Now in the air, Lucilia's eyes begins to glow with a scarlet red hue as she tightens her grip on the pipe. "I'm taking you offline. Permanently." With that said, she comes down upon the legless Sentinel, impaling it's chest with the sharp end of the steel pipe. Sparks begins to fly from the Sentinel as it's body start to malfunction before shutting down.

Kazato let's out a whistle of impression. "Using a plain ol'pipe as a weapon? Talk about lethal."

"In case their weapon breaks or is out of reach, a hunter must be able to use anything and everything as a weapon. Trust me, it'll save your life." Lucilia told him as she gets up to her feet.

"Guys, I just realized something!" Elisa gasps with a wide-eyed expression, gaining her team's attention. "Right now, this is totally like Remnant Online!"

"Huh?" All three of her teammates raises an eyebrow.

"We have a party of four! Just like in the game!" Elisa continues, seeing how the team operates reminds her of the game's co-op system.

"Then I have to be a five-star character." Kazato said with a smug smirk as he rests his scythe on his shoulder.

"Hell no." Rize objects. "If anyone here is a "Rare", it's me."

"We can discuss who is the _rare_ amongst us later." Lucilia says as they bring their attention to a group of Sentinels shooting at them. At that moment, Hope appears in front of the team with her art of quicken, acting as a shield for them.

"Stand back everyone!" She tells the team as her emerald green eyes begin to glow, indicating that shes activating her semblance. The stolen tech equipment around them, along with some of Sentinels they've taken down, begin to deconstruct. The parts circled around Hope as her semblance begins to assemble them into something else. Shortly afterwards, four long weapons at resembles rifles now levitates around the young hunter, gaining slack-jawed expressions from her students.

"What the-"

"Are those guns?"

"Whoa!"

Without saying a word, Hope holds out her right hand which causes all four weapons to aim that the sentinels. With that, the weapons roar to life, unleashing a bulletstorm of devastating firepower upon their robotic targets. The Sentinels could do nothing as the storm of bullets pierce through their armor, relentlessly tearing them apart.

Hope let's out a sigh as she looks upon the destroyed Atlas tech with a depressed expression underneath her crow mask. _'So much money down the drain.'_

"Ms. Valentine!" Elisa calls out to their teacher.

"That was boss!" Kazato compliments the silver haired woman.

"Huh? I-It was nothing special really." Hope waved it off with a small laugh.

"Are you kidding me? A semblance like that is perfect for a technophile like yourself." Rize adds in her own compliments. Hope begins to blush a little from the praise she is getting, something that she rarely gets.

"R-Really? You think so? W-Wow, this is the first time someone ever gave me praise."

"Huh? No one ever praised you before?" Rize asks with an raised eyebrow.

The young hunter shakes her head with a sigh. "Sadly no. As a kid I was never one to receive any. Always been ignored. I've done some pretty outstanding things in my life but I guess it wasn't outstanding enough for people to find the words within them to give any real feedback. Then I learned that the majority of people either stay neutral or become negative when there is something they disagree with. My self-esteem drops sometimes, but it's my determination that keeps me going."

"Is that why you became a hunter? To gain attention?" Lucilia asks their teacher, able to relate and understand where she is coming. Remembering how she had to fight to gain her own recognition within her family, so that she won't be in the shadow of her older siblings and parents.

Hope shakes her head again. "No. That's for an entirely different reason."

"If you five have time to talk, then we time to continue our assignment." Saya cuts into the conversation as she approaches the group. Team KREL looks pass her to see a large number of dismantled Sentinels and unconscious White Fang members lying on the concert floor.

"She managed to do all that by herself?" Lucilia asks the siblings since they are familiar the woman.

"Yeah, that's Saya for ya. That's why she's considered one of the best in the brotherhood." Kazato told her.

"As we already know, someone or something has triggered the alarm therefore alerting the entire garrison. And with the factory on high alert, we best believe that our target will be on his guard." Saya told the five.

"So what do we do?" Rize asks the hunter.

"We'll stick with the plan but expect to have a fight on your hands. For now its best that we break part to avoid becoming a huge target. I'll break off on my own to continue the search. Hope, you'll go and make contact with Lara. If shes still able to continue on with her assignment, then you'll pair up with her and provide support for both groups." Saya told the silver haired woman.

"Wait? Lara is here too?" Rize blinks with surprise.

"She was providing reconnaissance for her group but was shot down just on the other side of the factory."

"Wait? Shot down?!" Elisa gasp with worry for the fanus clearly in her eyes.

"Knowing Lara, shes probably fine. But we wouldn't know that until we check on her. Let's just pray that she isn't in any bad shape." Saya told the worried blond.

"Wait a minute? This place is huge. How is Ms. Valentine going to get to Lara if shes on the other side on the factory?" Kazato questions.

"Well..." Hope starts. "I have an ace up my sleeve for that." With that being said, her emerald green eyes begin to glow with a green hue again. Once again, Hope's semblance begins disassembling the stolen Atlas technology within the large room they are in. Parts from weapons and equipment such as guns, computers, and even parts of the Sentinels begin to assemble into something else. The group watches as Hope's semblance continues to construct some sort of machine from the ground up.

Now standing in front of them is a black mechanical suit. In the middle of the suit is a small space, more than likely it's a pilot seat of some sort. On the back of the suit are a pair of wings that resembles the wings of a jet along with a pair of thrusters, which she took from one of the Atlas tech. The suit's cockpit opens, standby for it's pilot.

Hope climbs into the cockpit of the suit, strapping her inside. The young hunter grabs onto two handles, which controls the suit, on both of her sides as her aura begins to power the suit, making it functional. "Well guys. Wish me luck out there." Hope says before the suit's thrusters roar to life, allowing her to take flight and exit through a large hole in the factory ceiling.

"I said it once and I'll say it again. That's boss." Kazato compliments Hope's semblance as he and his team look towards the ceiling she flew out of. Just then, without warning, Saya takes out a throwing knife, tosses it up, and kicks it. Causing the team to jump when it passes in front of their faces.

"What the hell Saya-" Before Rize could finish her sentence, the group hears something that sound like someone gargling. Turning their attention towards the sound, they catch sight of a White Fang member holding a rifle in his hands with the Saya's knife sticking out of his throat. Team KREL stares with surprise, slack-jawed expressions as they watch the fanus drop his weapon and falls lifelessly to the concrete floor.

"You're still on a hunt. Getting distracted will get you killed. Always bear that in mind." Saya says to the team. When they turn to face her, shes nowhere in sight.

* * *

"What the heck is going now?" Yang asks herself as she hides behind a metal storage container. Peeking around the corner, she clearly sees that the White Fang is on high alert. Orders can be heard as they are being shouted over the sounds of the alarm while White Fang members rush and scramble throughout the vicinity. Right now, thoughts begin to race through the brawler's mind as she wonders what could've caused this to happen. Was Blake spotted when she ran off? Or did someone find where Ruby and the others were hiding? She knows that there is a high possibility that it could be one of them...or both.

As much as Yang wants to go after Blake, given how things are now she won't reach her, not by herself. Her best choice of action is to regroup with her sister and Weiss before chasing after the fanus. With her mind made up, she proceeds on to reunite with her team, all the while making sure that she isn't seen by the White Fang. Eventually, the brawler finally catches sight of her team hiding behind another metal storage container, but she notices that both Ruby and Weiss are panting with their hands on their knees and Alexander is sitting on the ground with his back against the storage container.

"Guys!" Yang yells out loud enough so they can hear her voice over the alarm.

"Yang!" Ruby calls out to her sister, a huge sense relief coming over her from the sight of her sister.

"Were you guys spotted?" Yang asks her team.

"Well..." Ruby starts. "Some _thing_ found where we were hiding. It looked like a cross between dog and some kind of robot." She told her sister, criss-crossing her arms as she tries to explain the appearance of the bio-weapon.

"A dog and a robot? You mean those things?" Yang points to a cybernetic wolf walking around.

"Yeah that!" Ruby nods vigorously.

"That's a biological weapon. One of the things Atlas was developing. Apparently, they capture wildlife and they do... _stuff_ to it. Supposedly, they were made to help fight the Grimm." Weiss explains what the creature is and it's purposes to the sisters.

"You seem to know a lot about this stuff Weiss." Yang says to the heiress.

"The Atlas military are allies with my family's company. We give them Dust, they give we benefits. You'll be surprise of the kind of stuff they share with us." Weiss told the brawler. She then takes note that Blake didn't come back with her. "Yang, where is Blake?"

The heiress's question causes a look of uneasiness to appear on the brawler's face. "She took towards the factory."

"What?!" Weiss exclaims with a wide eyed expression. "Why the heck would she do that?!"

"You think I know? She wouldn't tell me anything. She just climbed up a scaffolding and left me behind." Yang looks down towards Alexander seeing that he is unconscious. "What happened to Professor Clark?"

"He had a seizure." Weiss told the brawler, causing her to raise an eyebrow.

"A seizure? Why did he-"

"Do I look like a doctor to you?" Weiss cut Yang off before the question is even asked.

 _'This is bad.'_ Ruby thought as she looks upon the swarm of fanuses. She then looks towards an unconscious Alexander, seeing that he is unable to do anything and that a member of her team has ventured further into enemy territory, she knows that she has to act upon her role as team leader and start making decisions. "Guys, it isn't safe here. If we stay to for too long, we'll risk being found. We have to move."

"What about Blake?" Yang questions.

"We have to think about Professor Clark first, he can't defend himself. We need to get him out of here and move him to a safe place, then we'll come back for Blake." Ruby told her team.

"Sounds like a plan, but where do we move him?" Weiss asks.

"In the city, but somewhere close by."

"What?! In the city?!" Weiss blinks, giving Ruby a crazy look. "In case you've forgotten, there could still be Grimm out there!"

"Well in that case, one of us will stay with him while the other two go after Blake. It's our best option." Yang adds in.

"Two of us against all of them?!"

"Weiss, it's our only other option. We can't left Blake behind." Ruby told the heiress.

"I know, but..." _'You've really done it know Blake!'_ Weiss thought with frustration. "Okay fine. But which one of us will stay with him?"

"There is one way decide that. Rock paper scissors. First one to lose will watch over him." Yang said while hold her right fist up. Ruby and Weiss did the same as all three of them throw down their signs. Both Ruby and Yang chose rock while Weiss chose scissors. Indicating that she'll watch over Alexander.

"Okay, I'll do it. But one of you be sure to hit her for me."

"I'll gladly do that." Yang agrees to fulfill the heiress's wish. With that said, both Yang and Weiss proceed to carry Alexander, placing his arms over their shoulders as they begin to lift his body.

"So...heavy. How much does he weigh?" Weiss ask no in particular as she and Yang begin to move him.

"...Wait..." Alexander mutters as he regains conscious, but just barely. "Ms. Rose..." He calls out to Ruby. "My scroll...is in my right pocket. Get it." Doing as he says, Ruby takes out Alexander's scroll from his right pocket. "There is...a distress call feature. Activate it...and help...will come." Just as when he finish his sentence he loses conscious again.

* * *

Else where within the abandoned factory, Cinder stands alone on a narrow walkway that overlooks the factory floor below, scrolling through snapshot photos that Blood have sent to her scroll. "Ten. Fourteen. Fifteen. Fifteen intruders. The majority of them are Black Wing Hunters, them showing up here is no surprise. Five the seem to be a group who took a wrong turn and ended up at the wrong place at the wrong time." She says while looking at the snapshot of Team RWBY and Alexander. "But aside from the hunters, how did _he_ find us." She ask herself when she scrolls to the snapshot of Qrow.

Just then, Cinder gets an incoming call on her scroll. Checking the caller ID, she sees that it's from Raven herself. A very rare occurrence. "Well, that's a caller I don't receive everyday." When she answers the call Raven begins to speak first, not giving Cinder a chance to say hello if she wanted to.

"There is a change in the plan. Whatever cargo you have loaded, get it out of the city. You have until nightfall." Raven told Cinder in a all business tone.

"Until nightfall you say." Cinder repeats back as she looks up toward the sky, seeing that the light of day is slowly starting to fade. "Judging by your tone, it sounds like you're going to do something interesting."

"If you're curious then you're free to stick around." Raven told her bluntly. "Make sure the White Fang gets the cargo out of the city before then." With that said, Raven hangs up the call. Soon after the call ends, Cinder dials the number to contact one of her associates, Emerald.

"We've just about have all of the cargo loaded." Emerald reports their progress to Cinder. Knowing that, due to the alarm going off, she would call in to check on progress.

"Good, because it's time for us to pick up the pace. I want the materials out of here before sundown. The White Fang is nearly finish with their loading. Make sure Roman finishes his as well." Cinder gives her order.

"Understood" Emerald says obediently before their both end the call.

"It's rude to listen in on someone's conversation, hunter." Cinder says as she looks behind her at the corner of her eye. Standing a few feet away from her on the narrow walkway...is Claire.

"If you know what's best for you, then you'll give me the answers that I want. We'll start by you telling me what you've been taking out of those bloody tombs." Claire says bluntly.

"What's best for me?" Cinder gives a small chuckles as she puts on her hood and a mask that covers her eyes, concealing her identity. With that, she turns around to face the hunter. "As always, you hunters are too late to react to things. Just like the Arcana family when I took their _prized_ possession."

"It was you?! You were the one who stole our portion of the medium!" Clarie blurts out before gritting she teeth underneath her crow mask. She never thought she would come face to face with the thief who stole what her family was guarding.

"Oh? You're an Arcana?" Cinder raises an eyebrow underneath her own mask. "I'm sure you are aware of what your family had in their possession can be used to achieve things far beyond one's imagination. Yet you kept it locked in a vault and intend to let it go to waste. Well, at least it is in good hands now and being put to good use. Surely you're aware of the signs. The longer nights. The increased Grimm activity, well, we both know the truth behind that."

"So you're the one behind all this." Claire grits her teeth while giving Cinder a glare.

Cinder let's out a chuckle. "You can say that I'm _partially_ responsible."

"That's good enough for me. You're going tell me what you're up to and what's causing these events." Claire told in a demanding tone.

"Oh really?" Cinder raises an eyebrow. "Well, let's say if I refuse to comply. What will happen then?"

Claire remains silent as she places her right hand on her whip, making it drop to her feet. Seeing this, Cinder cracks a grin. "I see" She says as she brings her gazes towards the sky, seeing that there is still some daylight left. "I guess I can spare a _little_ time." She says, drawing out one of her blades. "I've never fought a Cursed Hunter before." Cinder runs her finger along the side of her blade, seeing her reflection looking back at her. "I'm looking forward to this being interesting. Don't..." She starts as she looks back at the hunter, pointing her blade at her. "...Let me down."

"Oh trust me, I bloody won't!" Claire shouts as she swings her whip at her target, which Cinder aboves with a backflip, hearing a loud echoing crack as the whip hits the walkway they are on. Claire draws out her gun, Evelyn, and fires shots at the woman. Cinder holds out her left hand, somehow deflecting Claire's quicksilver bullets as they come at her, turning them into embers along with her clothes seeming to glow. Using those embers, they gather in the palm of Cinder's hand, manifesting into arrows as she fuses her two blades, transforming it into a bow.

Claire runs towards the masked woman, continuously firing shots as she closes the gap between them. Cinder wears her usual smile as she ducks and dodges the incoming bullets as well as shooting a few arrows. Claire turns around with her whip and swings another attack. Using her reflexes, Cinder ducks the whip but that wasn't all Claire had planned. The Arcana's whip starts to tighten and harden, becoming a staff. Claire twirls the staff around and attempts to thrust it's end into Cinders abdomen.

Unfortunately, Cinder jumps the thrust and lands on top of the hunter's staff. "What?" Claire looks up with surprise in her voice, feeling Cinder's weight on the staff. Instead of throwing her off with the staff, Claire makes the staff reflex causing it to lose of it's stiffness, reverting back to a whip.

Without anything to support her, Cinder falls. Seeing an opening, Claire catches Cinder with a kick as she is falling, sending her back a bit. Cinder rebounds and jumps into the air, manifesting three arrows, still wearing her smug smile. She shoots all three arrows simultaneously, which Claire dodges by jumping back. Just as soon as the arrows strike the platform they are on, they ignite, creating an explosion that destroys platform.

Now falling, Claire sees that she is quickly rushing towards the concert floor below. Using her whip, she wraps it around a pipe as she swings herself out of the way of the falling debris from above. Now managing to land safely on the factory's concert floor, Claire is now surrounded by a dust cloud created by the falling debris.

"Damn. This dust is clouding my vision. I can't see a thing." Claire knows that right now, there is a high possibility that she could be a sitting duck for Cinder. Wanting to prevent that possibility, Claire let's out a calming breath as she focuses on her acute sense of hearing. A moment of silence went by before Claire picks up a strange faint sound. Acting on instinct, she draw her Rakuyo, detaching it into two blades as she deflects incoming shards that shoot through the dust cloud.

Due to her Grimm, Claire's acute sense of smell picks up Cinder's scent. She turns around just in time to collide blades with Cinder, whose continues to wear her usual smug grin. Cinder's eyes begins to burn with a fiery hue underneath her mask as she pushes against the Vileblood. Claire can feel the sudden heat coming from the woman.

 _'Is she a Vileblood? No. I don't sense a vibe from her. So what is this?'_ "So you like to play with fire, hm?" Claire smirks underneath her crow mask as her purple eyes starts to glow with a burning scarlet red hue which, at that time, Cinder starts to feel a sudden heat coming from the Arcana. "Just my luck."

* * *

Lara, lying on her stomach, groans as she regains consciousness. Now sitting on the floor, she holds her hand up to her head due to a pounding headache. "Dammit. I must've hit my head. It feels like I was hit with a sledgehammer." The fanus takes off her crow mask as she observes her surroundings. She seems to be in a large enclosed circular area within the factory. Pipes run along the walls to the enormous room and lights lit the area from above, indicating that power is being run through the factory.

Lara gets up to feet. Looking behind her, she catches sight of the lifeless Nevermore she crashed in with, seeing it's body starting to fade. _'It's dead. They must've been using ammunition created from siderite, the same material the hunters use to forge their weapons. The only material known to prevent the Grimm from regenerating.'_ Her thoughts then begin to wonder, the memory of seeing Blake coming back to her. "That...was her. That really was my daughter. Why is she here of all places?" She ask herself as the unpleasant, heart wrenching memories of her nightmare start to come back to her. To this day, she still hasn't forgiven herself for leaving Blake behind. She feels that she have failed as a mother and loneliness is a just reward she deserves.

"I should've taken her with me." She mutters to herself. "But...where would we have gone? I would've just been putting her in danger." Lara's thoughts goes towards her nightmare again, the memories of her interaction with Blake are still vivid. She remembers the interaction word from word, especially Blake's parting words that still sends chill down her spine.

" _You're a Grimm."_ Those last words seem to echo within her mind. Lara knows it was just a dream, a dream her Grimm conjured up from the emotions she keeps locked within. But what if... What if that's how Blake will really see her? The thought of this is more than enough to make her heart wrench as it begins to hammer in her chest. "I...I can't do it..." She says to herself. " I can't come face to face with her. I'm...I'm not ready."

Just then, the fanus's right ear twitches, picking up the sound of heavy footsteps in the distance behind her. Looking out from the corner of her eye, she catches sight of five Atlas Sentinels walking into the large circular room with their guns trained on her.

"Looks like they sent a clean up crew. Grr, I don't have time for this shit." The fanus says with slight irritation as she puts her crow mask back on. She begins to feel a pulsating feeling in her gut, her Grimm warning her of the immediate danger. "Yes, I'm aware of that." She says as draws out her bowblade and turns to face the Sentinels. Without a moments delay, Lara vanishes with her art of quicken, causing the Sentinels to looking around confused as they scan for their target. Soon afterwards, Lara comes down on one of the Sentinels from above with her blade pointing downwards, impaling the Sentinels through the top of it's head as she comes down.

The other four Sentinels immediately open fire at the hunter. Lara takes off in a sprint as the bullets come rushing at her, continuing to run as she circles back around for another attack. With a mighty throw, she hurls her bowblade at one of the four Sentinels and disappears once again with her art of quicken. Right before the blade strikes it's target, Lara reappears within the midst of the action and impales the blade through the Sentinel's chest as she make contact with it. The Sentinel drops it's gun as it begin to stumble back with Lara still on it body.

The fanus snaps a glare towards the last three Sentinels as they got ready to open fire once again. Lara jumps off the Sentinels she is on, leaving her sword still in it's chest, and vanishes once more. Just in time to above the barrage of bullets that cut the impaled Sentinel. The three Sentinels scan their surroundings again, trying to pinpoint their targets whereabouts. Without warning, the fanus drops down upon one of the Sentinels, making her crow mask be the last thing it sees before she begins pulling and twisting it's head violently until it eventually comes off with a display of sparks and wires.

After jumping off the headless Sentinel, Lara kicks it's head with enough force causing it bust through one of the last two Sentinels. With the last Sentinel standing, Lara decides to finish things off with her secondary weapon. Taking her chain & sickle, which is on her left side, she wraps a small portion of the chain around her left hand. She gives the Sentinel a cold glare underneath her mask as it points it's gun at her.

"You better make that shot count." She says with a cold tone, her body beginning to emit a red and black mist. Seeing this, the Sentinel opens fire, but this time Lara doesn't make any attempts the dodge the paths of the bullets. As the bullets rush towards her, something...strange happens to them. They seem to...deteriorate when they make contact which the mist surrounding the hunter.

"Grimm..." Lara calls out in a plain tone, the black and red mist seeming to react to her voice. "Bite" Soon after those words, Lara's mist instantly burst towards the Sentinel, a ghastly apparition of a Grimm bearing it's fangs as it rushes towards the Sentinel, whose tries in vein the stop the ghastly figure with bullets but to no avail.

Both of the Sentinel's arms are viciously bitten off by the ghastly apparition. Soon after, Lara's sickle shoots through the mist and wraps around the Sentinel's neck. Using her granted supernatural strength, Lara yanks the chain with her left hand, causing the armless Sentinel to fly towards her. The fanus readies her right hand to deal the finishing blow, a black secondary skin with red glow markings appearing on her arm. Lara let's out furious yell as she hits the Sentinel in the chest with a visceral attack, slamming it into the metal floor with a loud crash that echoes throughout the vast room.

Now that the conflict has been resolved, Lara takes a breath as she walks over to retrieve her bowblade from one of the Sentinels, the Grimm mist around she starting to fade. "Alright, moving for-" Before she could finish her speech, she begins to feels her heart beat starting to increase at a rapid rate, she starts to sweat, her vision becoming dizzy-like, and her body starts to feel numb. Lara falls to her hands and knees, feeling her body shaking.

"A...Seizure?! Dammit!" Lara swears as she quickly rips off her crow mask, a feeling of overwhelming nausea coming over her as she vomits. "Damn, it's progressing to stage 2. It's getting worse." The fanus says to herself as she tries to catch her breath, knowing what's wrong with her. "You really are two-faced, aren't you Grimm? First you help me, and now you're attacking me. Why don't you just make up your mind already?"

Just then, the fanus begins to hear the sound of loud rumbling coming from outside the room. As soon as the noise starts, something burst through one of the walls allowing sunlight, what is still left, to enter the vast circular room. "What?!" Lara exclaims as dust of the resulted dust cloud fly into her face, her body still haven't recovered from the small seizure she is having. When the dust cloud finally clears, it reveals a massive mechanized battlesuit standing just outside of the gaping hole in the wall. It's a Atlesian Paladin.

"This factory and all of this Atlas tech is starting to piss me off!" Lara snarls as she tries to stand up, her body still feeling a bit numb. The Paladin rises it's left arm, preparing to crush the lone hunter. Much to Lara's luck, missiles suddenly come in and strike the Paladin in certain areas that would be considered as it's joints, causing it to break apart.

"What just...?" Lara starts to ask herself as she manages to stand up. Looking up, she catches sight of a silver haired woman, strapped within a flying black mechanized suit, descending down from above. It's Hope.

"Better make sure it's actually dead next time. That was dangerous ma'am." Hope says to the fanus with a friendly smile. Lara says nothing as she walks up to the younger hunter in the hovering mechanized suit.

"You're Lara Belladonna, right? I'm Hope Valentine, a hunter from the Kingdom of Atlas. I'm here to provide support."

"Copy that." Lara response back.

"So..." Hopes starts, seeing that shes clearly not having much of a conversation with the fanus. "I was told that your group is after Adam Taurus, right? I have a flight unit. I can survey the area from above to help you locate him."

"Alright. I'll continue my search from the ground." Lara replies with a all business demeanor.

"O-Okay then." 'S _hes not much of a talker. Not even a simple thank you.'_ Hope thought as she ascends, flies out of the hole and into the skies.

"A hunter from Atlas huh?" Lara says to herself while watching Hope fly off. Now that there is a new path before her, Lara proceeds on. "You better be ready when I find you Adam."

* * *

On the outskirts of Hashima, Team JNPR is currently walking the dirt roads with the huntsmen they're shadowing, Professor Bartholomew Oobleck. They are returning to beacon after successfully completing the assignment they had taken on.

"Looks like the sun is calling it a day." Ren says, seeing the sun setting on the horizon.

"Yeah, it's getting pretty dark out." Nora agrees as she too sees the sun setting.

"Hey, is it me or have you guys notice that sun is setting pretty early?" Jaune asks his team.

"I've notice that as well." Pyhrra answers his question. "Any idea of what's happening Professor Oobleck?" The scarlet warrioress asks the green spiky-haired huntsman.

"Good question Ms. Nikkos." Oobleck says in a rapid speech, more than likely due to him constantly consuming large quantities of coffee. "This world that we live in is filled with fairy tales and legends. In fact, there is a certain legend that this seems to refer to. According to the legend, longer nights are a sign of the coming of the blood moon."

"A blood...moon?" Nora raises an eyebrow of confusion.

"It is said that the blood moon brings about an event known as 'The Hunt'. A night were Grimm activity is said to increase. This legend have been passed down by huntsmen before the establishment of the kingdoms." Oobleck told the team, starting to go deep into this legend's history as he goes on about it. He is a history teacher after all. "There is a interesting rumor about the kingdoms establishment." He continues on. "Those who know this legend believe that the kingdoms were mainly established to increase humanities chances of surviving The Hunt. Before the construction of the walls, people lived in cities such as Yharnam, settlements that didn't have a wall to protect them from the Grimm so they had to heavily rely on hunters. So if the legend is true, then we as huntsmen may have to participate in The Hunt."

"Geez, I hope not." Jaune comments on the last part Oobleck said. Right when their unexpected history lesson ended, they find themselves standing on a hill top, looking over the abandoned city of Hashima.

"What's this place? I don't see it anywhere on the map." Jaune asks as he holds the map in his hands.

"This is..." Oobleck begins as he gets a good look of the decaying city. "…Hashima."

"Who?" Pyhrra raises an eyebrow.

"This city...is a forgotten piece of Remnant history!" Oobleck says with enthusiasm clearly in his voice.

"Don't tell me this is going to be another history lesson." Nora sighs, knowing where this is going.

"Yes, this will be another lesson Ms. Valkyrie!" Oobleck response in his usual rapid speech. "To live in this world, I must learn all that you can about it's history! History that made Remnant into what it is today!"

"Professor it's getting dark. Can't this wait until we get back to Beacon?" Nora sulks.

"Certainly not! Now, where to begin? Ah yes, the Great War-" Right before he could torture Team JNPR with another history lesson, Oobleck's scroll begins to ring, causing Oobleck to frown since it interrupted him.

"Oh thank god." Nora said under her breath. Checking his scroll, Oobleck raises both eyebrows, indicating that his eyes widen underneath his glasses. _'It's a distress call from Alexander!'_ He though as he hastily answers the call. The members of Team JNPR caught notice of the expression on his face and exchanges looks with each other.

"Hello? Is anyone there?" Comes Ruby's voice through the comm-link.

"Wait, is that Ruby?" Jaune asks a rhetorical question.

"Ms. Rose!" Oobleck calls the silver eyed girls name.

"Professor Oobleck? Is that you?"

"Where are you?!" Oobleck immediately jumps to the questions.

"We're in...some kind of city. I..I don't remember the name of it." Ruby tells him with a frantic voice, the sounds of commotion in the background.

"Where is Alexander?"

"Professor Clark? He...he had a seizure, now he's unconscious."

"A seizure?" Pyhrra raises an eyebrow.

"Ruby! What's going on!" Jaune asks franticly, everyone clearly hearing the commotion in the back.

"Jaune?" Ruby says the young man's name when she hear his voice. "We're trying to get away from the White Fang. They're doing something but we don't know what."

"White Fang? What is that?" Ren pops the questions.

"Company they certainly don't want." Oobleck answers as he activates the tracker on his scroll, pinpointing Ruby's location within Hashima. _'They're in the city.'_ "Ms. Rose, listen to me. You and your team find a safe place for Alexander, we're on our way."

"Yes sir." Ruby replies before the comm-link ends.

"Come on, we don't have time to waste." Oobleck says to the team, receiving a 'Yes sir!' as a response before they take off towards the city. At another area just outside of the city, Raven stands on top of a hill with her arms cross as she overlooks the decaying city in front of her.

"You better act fast Cinder." She says as she looks up towards the sky above, darkness just upon them. "Because your time is running out." With that said, she begins to feel a slight pulsating feeling in her stomach from her Grimm. The Branwen looks over her shoulder and sees numerous red glowing eyes lurking within the shadows of the woods behind her. Grimm of different kinds begin to appear out of the shadows.

Without showing any signs of fear or having a impulse to flee, Raven emits her Grimm mist from her body a she continues to stand there with her back turned towards the approaching Grimm. The horde of Grimm begin to pass by the Branwen, not even acknowledging her presence. That is until a gorilla-like Grimm, a Beringel, stops right next to the Branwen and looks at her.

Raven doesn't pay the Grimm any mind as she continues to stand there with her arms crossed, her black and red mist still emitting from her body. The Grimm observes the Cursed Hunter with a mix of curiosity and confusion. Due to her Grimm, it couldn't tell if she is one of them or something else completely. Eventually, the Beringel loses interest and continues on with the rest of the horde.

"As always when we use our Grimm, the line between man and Grimm becomes blurred. They can't tell the difference." With that being said, the Branwen uses her art of quicken to vanish.

* * *

"Go for it's legs!" Kazato yells out to his party. While progressing through the factory, Team KREL have encountered another one of Atlas's magitek-type weapons, one that looks spider-like. While running from the bullets from the spider mech's Gatling gun and managing to get to it right side, Kazato attempts to cut one of it's legs with his Burial Blade. But when he tries, his blade isn't able to cut through it's armor, bouncing off the moment it makes contact. At that moment, he remember that his Burial Blade wasn't forged with Siderite like most of the hunter's weapons.

"Grr! This fucking piece of shit of a blade!" He swears at his weapon with frustration. Without a second thought, Kazato does the next thing that comes to his mind. Using his semblance, he creates a large cloud of ash out from his mouth, clouding the mech's vision. With that, he gives out a loud whistle. Right on que, Elisa appears in the air within the ash cloud. Taking out a Dust vial that contains lightning Dust, the blond swipes the Dust out in front of her as she uses her semblance to crystallize it into a two-hand axe, imbued with lightning magic from the Dust she used.

"Hey spider! Break a leg!" She shouts as she comes down with the axe, severing one the spider mech's legs, it's body starting to malfunction as a current of electricity reeks havoc on it's systems.

"Haha! Break a leg! Get it?" Elisa laughs.

"We get it, now move!" Rize yells as she and Lucilia come running in. Rize slides her Chikage back in it's sheath, cutting her thumb as she did. "My sword..." Given the command, the scarlet muramasa blade consumes the blood it's wielder offered to it. Gripping the blade's handle, Rize swiftly draws the blade out, a splash of blood coming out with it. With that, Rize snaps her fingers, her semblance manipulating the blood to take the form of three spears. The blood spears shoot out, striking the three remaining legs on the spider mech's right side.

The blood from the spears begin to seep into the spider mech's legs, causing them the corrode on the inside and out. Now with it's legs weakening from the corrosion, Lucilia takes this chance to deal some real damage with her Vulcanus Sangre. Detaching the Rakuyo into two blades, she cuts through the blood corroded legs of the mech, causing it to fall on it's right side with a loud crash.

"Kazato!" Rize calls out to her brother as she runs towards him. Kazato connects his curved sword with the metal contraption on his, becoming a scythe. He holds out his scythe for his sister to jump on. "Don't miss!" He yells before flinging her into the air.

Now in the air directly above the spider mech, Rize slides her sword back in it's sheath as she cuts her thumb again. "Come on Chikage! Let's go again!" That being said, her scarlet blade begins to glow as she falls towards her target. She stabs the mech as she lands on top of it. With the blade still in it's back, she runs off dragging the blade down the middle, cutting deep as she jumps off. The damage dealt causing the mech to shut down.

"And that's a wrap." Rize flings the oil off of her sword.

"Glad that's over." Kazato takes a breath, still a little irritated that his weapon wasn't able to cut through the mech's armor. Now that the threat as been resolved the team notices a fork, two separating paths in front of them.

"Which way do we go from here leader?" Rize asks her brother.

"Which way? Which way?" Elisa says as she looks left to right at the two paths. Kazato placed his chin between his thumb and index finger as he begins to think. "Well, we can split up in pairs. We'll cover more ground that way."

"True, but it also presences the possibly that we'll be picked off." Lucilia mentions the downside of the idea.

"Yeah but remember what Saya said. 'Staying together makes us a bigger target.'" Rize told the young Arcana. "Besides, it's not like any of us is going alone."

"Rize and I will take the right." Kazato pairs up with his sister.

"Then Elisa and myself will take the left passage." Lucilia says.

"Alright" Kazato gives a nod. "Let's move."

* * *

In another area of the factory that acts as another loading bay for the White Fang, Qrow finds himself standing in the middle of the loading bay, surrounded by unconscious bodies of fanuses that lie sprawl on the concrete floor along with Sentinels that he had turned to a pile of scrap. Resting his sword on his right shoulder, his red eyes start to scan the area.

"These robots... Since when did the White Fang start having these? They look like something that you'll see from Atlas." He says to himself as he looks upon the scrap piles that were once Atlas Sentinels. While he is scanning the area, he notices wooden crates stacked on top of one another near one of the Bulkheads on the loading bay.

"So these must be the cargo Scarlet was talking about." He says as he walks over to the crates. "Apparently those hunters are after whatever the Fangs have inside these crates. Makes you wonder what the hell is inside. I have a feeling it's something else other than Dust." Seeing a lone crate that isn't staked, the Branwen decides that it would be a good idea to crack one open and take a look.

"Well, there is one way to find one. If I'm going to be working with them, then I have the right to know what the hell is causing all the fuss." With that said, he sticks his swords in the crates and begins to pry it open with little effort. As he is working on opening the crate, he has no idea that he is being watched. Sitting on the edge on a high platform is a woman wearing black and red armor that partially covers her body, revealing her pale white skin. She has long white hair and wears a Grimm mask that only covers her eyes. It's Aria, another one of Salem's children. Sitting on the high ledge with her legs crossed, Aria watches the curious Branwen with a small grin forming on her lips. "Well. This one should be entertaining."

Qrow finally gets the top of the crate open, with the top removed he takes a curious peek inside. Looking in, he sees...jars? "What the..." He reaches down into the crate with his left hand and takes out one of the jars, feeling the coolness of the glass against the palm of his hand. Within the jar, he sees something that instantly made his expression frown with utter confusion. Within the jar is a...organ?"

"The hell...? Is that a...heart?" Qrow asks himself as he stares at the organ submerged in some kind on fluid. Putting the jar back in the crate, he takes out another one, this time containing some kind of yellowish colored backbone. Looking back towards the other jars in the crate, he sees other body parts such as eyeballs and etc. Qrow can feel his stomach starting to turn upon making this gruesome discovery.

"What the...hell...?" As he continues to stare that the gruesome things within the crate, he is suddenly startled by the echoing cry of a nearby crow. He immediately brings his attention to a crow at sits on the railing of a nearby upper platform.

"It's just you." Qrow let's out a breath of relief upon seeing the bird. "You're still following me huh?" The Branwen's gaze follows the crow as it flies off from the railing. As it flies off, it passes in front of a figure of a person sitting on one of the high platforms, causing Qrow to immediately raise an eyebrow as he instinctively places his hand on the handle of his sword. "Who is that?"

Seeing that she has been spotted, Aria stands up from the platform she is sitting on. Aria manifests eight black arms on her back. As she did in her fight against Summer, she detaches two of the arms and make them grab on to each other. She repeats this action with the rest of the other arms until they formed a black staff/lance made of arms with the hand at the very end holding a knife. "Time to give my prey a warm welcome."

With that being said, she jumps into the air above the loading bay with her staff. "What the-" Before Qrow could finish his words, he quickly hurls himself out of the way as Aria impacts the crate and concert floor with a devastating blow that causes a violate shake. Immediately afterwards, She jumps with a acrobatic flip and comes down on the Branwen with her staff.

"Shit!" Qrow swears as he blocks the attack with his blade, feeling Aria's strength behind the attack while she is on top of him.

"Hey there handsome." She says with a grin as she pushes herself off of the huntsman. "Look what comes flapping in? A crow, but not just any crow. Qrow Branwen."

"And just who the hell are you?" Qrow immediately jumps straight to the question as he tightens his grip on his sword's handle.

"Wouldn't you like to know who I'm am." Aria stabs the bladed end of her staff into the concert as she leans against it with a casual manner. "I'm known as 'The Spider of Huntsmen'. Not that telling you matters right now. "

"Why are there body parts in these crates? I'm have a strong feeling that you would know."

"I do, but why not ask the hunters?" Aria says as she cross her arms. "Anyway, you've been a torn in my mother's side for quite awhile now. And as any good child would, I'm going to remove it for her."

Qrow raises an eyebrow. "Mother? Who would that be?"

Aria let's out a chuckle. "As I said before, this shouldn't matter right now. All you should be concern about right now is becoming my prey." The woman says as she pulls the staff out of the concert floor.

"You're prey huh?" A smirk starts to form on Qrow's lips. "You sound pretty confident for someone who doesn't know anything about their _prey_. I guess you don't know that _birds_ can eat _spiders_."

Aria raises an eyebrow as she let let's out another chuckles. "Well said, that is true. But not all of them." A black and red mist emits from Aria's back as all eight of her extra arms begin to manifest again. "See, there are certain spiders out there that are capable of eating birds. Looks like we're both predators and prey. Hunt or be hunted. This should be interesting. But I should warn you birdie..." Aria says, making her extra arms move, revealing red, razor sharp strings at their finger tips that appear all around the loading bay.

Qrow looks around, seeing red glimpsing strings everywhere, likes his in a web.

"You're already in my web. Try not to tangled up in it, for your sake."

* * *

Blake stealthy travels her way through the factory, jumping from platform to platform high above the factory floor to avoid being seen or caught. Landing on a walkway that is above the factory floor, she stops to observe her surroundings.

 _'Where is he? Where is he?'_ Are the thoughts that repeatedly run through the fanuses mind as she franticly searches for Adam within the massive factory. "With a factory this size, I'll never find him." She says as she grabs the railing on the walkway with both hands, tightening her grip in frustration. The fanus thinks back to all of the Atlas weaponry the White Fang have stolen. "What is he planning?" She wonders, the worst cases of the scenario running through her mind.

She can still hear the sounds of the alarm echoing in the distance. Looking back at the way she came, she begins to think about her team. The alarm went off shortly after she strayed from the group. Could they have been found? "Dammit..." The fanus swears as she slams her fists on the railing, the sound echoing throughout the area she is in. "I did it again." Once again she'd let her emotions get the best of her, a bad habit that can become a fatal flaw. Instead of chasing after Adam, she should've stayed with the group and reported back to Beacon. But the White Fang, her people, are being lead a stray from what they were originally fighting for. And knowing how ruthless and unforgiving Adam can be, she can't just leave things be.

"I'm already too far into the factory, I can't turn back now." She then looks back towards the direction where the sound of the alarm is coming from. "I'm sorry guys. Please...just hold on until I get back." Just when she proceeds to move forward, she suddenly hears something that sounds like a huge flap above her, shortly followed by a large shadow appearing. Quickly looking up, she catches sight of a figure rapidly dropping down towards her.

Using her reflexes, she hurling herself out of way before the figure lands on top of her. Just as soon as she recovers, Blake is suddenly kicked straight in the torso, knocking her off her feet and rolling across the walkway.

The fanus groans in pain while wrapping her arms around her torso. Just then, she hears footsteps approaching as a shadow appears over her. Looking up to get a look that her attacker, she sees a person wearing a hooded red cloak with a Grimm mask. Blood.

 _'Who is-'_ Before she could finish her thoughts, Blood draws out a three barreled gun from their right side and points it at the fanus's face. Amber colored eyes now wide with shock and fear, Blake let's out a terrified gasp before the gunshot from the tri-gun echoes throughout the area, the three bullets lodging themselves deep within the fanus's skull.

Blake's body falls onto the walkway, lying lifeless at Blood's feet. The body, however, turned out to be doppelganger, fading as a shadow. The next thing Blood feels is a blade being impaled right through their back, their blood dripping from the fanus's blade. Using her semblance at the right moment, Blake managed to get behind her unknown assailant to deliver a fatal strike. Well, she thinks it fatal.

Blood says nothing as they stand there, they didn't even make any sounds of being in pain. They look down at the blood covered blade sticking through their torso and then looks back to Blake over their shoulder.

"What?" Blake's eyes widen with shock, seeing that her assailant isn't phased in the slightest. Using her reflexes again, she ducks a backhanded swing. Before she could pull her Gambol Shroud out of Blood's body, her assailant swiftly turns around with their gun, aiming for another shot. Not having time to retrieve her weapon, Blake has no choice but to leave it as she jumps back to quickly gain some distance, just in time to avoid another echoing shot.

" _What just happened?! It's like they don't feel pain at all? Who or what is this?'_ Blake thinks, trying to think of how to retrieve her weapon, her only means of defense.

Blood reaches behind them and pulls Blake's Gambol Shroud out from their back without showing any signs of pain. Looking from blade and back to Blake, Blood tosses the blade off the side of the walkway.

"No! Without that, I'm defenseless!" Blake thinks franticly as she jumps off after her weapon, free falling after it. While falling, she reaches for her Gambol Shroud but that the same time she hears gunshots followed by bullets flying pass her. Blake didn't have to look back to know that her assailant is after her. Finally managing to retrieve her weapon, Blake transforms it into it's whip form and swings herself to safety on a nearby platform. After landing safely, Blake uses the little time she has to catch her breath, but that time is short lived when a red cloak suddenly swoops in from overhead causing Blake to dodge roll to avoid Blood from landing on top of her. Blood begins firing shots again as soon as they land. Blake, using her blade and sheath, deflects the incoming bullets, grimacing a bit from the impact of the shots. She takes off running towards her assailant, using her semblance in a attempt to throw her enemy off as she zig-zags. Blake comes at Blood with a onslaught of attacks, mixing her semblance in with the onslaught to throw them off.

Blood dodges and blocks Blake's attacks, also taking shots at her which Blake's semblance allows her to swiftly dodge them. As soon as Blake appears from the shadows for another attack, Blood catches her in the face with a left punch. Interrupted and stunned, Blake grimaces from the throbbing pain as she stumbles back. Soon after, she feels her assailant knee her dead in the torso, causing her to immediately drop to her knees and becoming out of breath.

Blood then mercilessly kicks the fanus in the side while she is down, causing her to roll across the platform. Blake coughs as she tries to get up. Her body flashed for a brief moment, indicating that her aura that protected her from blood's previous attacks has deactivated. Blake grimaces once more as the throbbing pains continue. She looks up at her assailant with a glare as they are walking towards while reloading their gun.

Blake manages to get to her feet as she faces her attacker. She takes a quick look behind her to see nothing but a long drop to the factory floor below. Looking forward, she sees that Blood is still walking toward her, seeing their glowing red eyes underneath their Grimm mask and hood. Blake always knew that her bad habit would be her downfall, but she didn't expect it to come so early.

* * *

 **AN: Thanks for reading everyone. I really hope you all enjoyed this chapter. I'll see you in the next one. This is Chronicles calling this chapter a wrap.**


	14. Night of Terrors

**AN: Hey everyone, I'm back with another chapter. I haven't really been writing as much as I use to in the past few weeks but now I'm going to pick the pace back up. Plus, I've been doing some heavy thinking and planning for future chapters.**

 **Also, just to let you guys know in advance. I'll be leaving for the Army soon. Active duty. But first I have to go the doctor to get something checked out before I go back to see my recruiter for my new date to leave for basic training. I'm hoping to be finished with this story and already writing on the sequel before I leave. But if not, I'll still being working on it even when I'm in service.**

 **Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy the chapter.**

* * *

The cold darkness of night has finally fallen upon the chaos that proceeds to spread across the abandoned city of Hashima. The creatures of Grimm begin to swarm the outer districts of the decaying city with a longing for human or fanus blood. Team JNPR, along with Professor Oobleck, finds themselves fighting off a group of Grimm that consists of Beowolves and Ursi.

Ren, handling his share of Grimm, delivers a slash deep into the chest of an Ursa that is standing up. Growling in pain, the bear-like Grimm attempts to get the young man with a swipe of it's claw. Using his reflexes, Ren ducks the swipe and shoots the Grimm in one of it's hind legs, causing it to fall. "Nora!" Ren shouts out to his childhood friend.

"Got it!" Nora shouts in response when she jumps off of Ren's shoulder with her hammer raised over her head. "...And SMASH!" She yells, bringing her hammer down upon the Ursa's head resulting a satisfying crack.

"We make a great duo as always." Nora laughs with a smile to her childhood friend. Ren responds with a smile of his own before suddenly hearing a noise that sounds similar to that of a raging bull. "What was that sound?" Nora asks as she too heard the noise. As soon as she asks the question, something suddenly bursts out of one of the nearby run down shops. Well, it use to be a shop.

Now standing in front of the group is a large hulking Grimm with armor covering it's body with two large blood colored horns sticking out from the front of it's forehead that emits a crimson mist. The Grimm glares at the group with piercing red eyes as it readies to charge them.

"What type of Grimm is that?!" Jaune shouts franticly when he sees the Grimm.

"It's a Bloodhorn! Stay on your toes!" Oobleck yells to the team. The Bloodhorn let's out another bull-like bellow sound before charging directly towards Jaune.

"Whoa! Whoa! Whoa!" Jaune shouts with fears seeing the hulking tank of a beast charging towards him.

"Jaune!"

"Mr. Arc!"

His team and teacher shouts. Quick on her feet, Pyrrha runs in front of the young blond, acting as a shield while transforming her blade into it's gun form. The scarlet warrioress fires shot after shot at the charging the Grimm, unfortunately it doesn't do much. Seeing that this isn't working and that the Grimm is quickly closing in, Pyrrha holds up her shield in front of her, clinching her teeth as she awaits for the impact.

The Grimm's crimson horns makes contacts with her shield, causing a shock of pain to shoot through her arm as the beast pushes her back. Luckily, Pyrrha used her aura to help her withstand the impact and stop it from charging.

"Pyrrha!" Jaune shouts out as he helplessly watches. The Bloodhorn swings it's head, knocking Pyhrra out of the way with it's horns resulting a cry of pain as she rolls across the asphalt. Bringing it's attention back towards the young man in front of it, the hulking Grimm let's out another bull-like bellow as it lifts itself up on it's hind legs with an intention to crush him.

"Jaune!" Ren shouts as he runs towards the Bloodhorn while firing shots to stop it. In the midst of the action, a wrecked car suddenly comes flying and slams right in to the Bloodhorn, knocking it off it's hind legs. Gasping with surprise, Jaune immediately looks towards the direction where the car came from. In that direction, he sees Pyrrha panting slightly while kneeling on one knee, holding her hand out as she did. Turns out that she had used her semblance to launch the car at the Grimm.

Jaune immediately runs over to his teammate's side, kneeling down beside her with a concern look clearly on his face as he places his hand on her shoulder. "Pyrrha! Are you..." He starts to ask if she is okay, but considering that she got knocked away by a vicious hulking Grimm, he wasn't sure if that was the right question to ask at the moment.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Luckily my aura was still activated when it hit me." She replies as Jaunes helps her up. Their attention is then grabbed by the Bloodhorn's enraged bellow as it furiously knocks the wrecked car out of the way and charges blindly at the two, causing them to gasp wide eyed.

Ren, using his semblance, places his hand on the ground and quickly begins to concentrate, causing a pinkish aura to suddenly surround Jaune and Pyrrha. The Bloodhorn stops in it tracks just before it gets to the two. Looking around clearly confused as if the pair have disappeared.

"Get out of there! Now!" Ren yells as he tries to keep his semblance up. With haste, Jaune and Pyhrra quickly moves away from the Bloodhorn.

"Ms. Valkyrie!" Oobleck calls out to one of his students while holding out his weapon for her to jump on. "Take care of it's horns!"

"Yes sir!" Nora replies as she jumps and lands on Oobleck's weapon in which he hurls her into the air. Now falling just above the Bloodhorn, Nora readies her hammer with a devilish grin on her face. "Break easily for me now." She raises her hammer over her head and brings it down upon the Grimm's crimson horns, breaking them causing a satisfying crack and a equally satisfying cry of pain from the Bloodhorn. Nora then spins around and hits the Grimm in the side with her hammer, knocking the suffering Grimm on it's side.

With it's underside now exposed, Oobleck rushes in and deals the finishing blow on the Bloodhorn before it could recover. It's body combust into flames after receiving a swing from Oobleck's weapon that sends it flying.

With the threat now resolved, the group can take a moment for a breather. But that moment is soon short lived when a sudden red flash appears from above. "What...was that?" Ren asks to no one in particular as he and the group looks up in confuse. Shortly after, a large sign, that looks to be a billboard on the side of one of the buildings, begins to collapses and fall directly above Pyrrha.

Gasping with eyes filled with shock, Pyrrha freezes up. Seeing the immediate danger that threatens to crush the scarlet warrioress, Jaune acts without thinking. "Pyrrha! Snap out of it!" He franticly yells as he lunges himself at the scarlet haired girl, forcefully pushing her out of the way and being underneath the falling debris.

"JAUNE, NO!" Pyhrra screams with terror while she is on the ground. Heart pounding and paralyzed with fear, Jaune could only watch as the debris falls towards him. As his heart rate begins to increase, a yellow hue begins to glow from the blonde's body and his terrified filled blue eyes begins to turn a scarlet red. Jaune curls into a ball as he let's out a terrified scream right before the debris crashes on top of him, separating Pyrrha from the rest of the group.

"JAUNE!" Everyone shouts the blonde's name as they all run towards the large metal debris.

"Jaune! Please...say something! Jaune!" Pyrrha franticly calls out to the blond hoping to get an answer as she tries to move what metal debris she can, but unfortunately she did not.

"No..." Oobleck says in a tone low enough to be a whisper as he drops to his knees. He can feel his heart sink in his chest as he looks upon the debris with disbelief. Ren on the other hand has his arms wrapped around a tear filled Nora, doing his best to console her.

Seeing that her efforts isn't making much of a difference, Pyrrha gives up as she too falls to her knees with tears beginning to flood her eyes. Looking do at her hands, she then realizes. She could've used her semblance to save him. "Why didn't I..." She begins to question herself. Just then, she hears a cough from within the debris. "Huh?"

"Hey!" Jaune coughs from beneath the debris. "Is anyone out there?"

"Jaune?" Pyrrha says to herself with a look of disbelief along with the group. "Jaune, are you okay?!" Pyrrha franticly gets up to her feet, a sense of relief coming over her.

"Y-Yeah, I think so." Jaune coughs in response as he lies underneath the debris. He begins to opens his eyes to a dark space voided of light, well, it wasn't completely voided of light due to a dim yellow light that is in the space with him. Fully opening his eyes, he catches sight of a dim yellow mist starting to disappear. But before it does, he notices that its in the form of some kind of shield. _"_ What...was that?" He asks himself seeing the mist fade away. Something protected him, but what?

"Mr. Arc, can you get out?" Comes Oobleck's voice from the outside, but his sounded much closer than Pyrrha's. "I don't know and I'm too afraid to even find out." Jaune said, fearing that the debris might collapse on top of him if his tries to escape. "Hey guys, is Pyrrha with you?"

"No, I'm on the other side. The debris has separated me from everyone else." Comes the scarlet warrioress's voice that sound further away.

"Hold on, we're going to get you out." Comes Nora's voice followed by the sounds of metal being moved.

"Pyrrha, is there any way you can get to our side?" Ren asks the scarlet warrioress. Pyrrha looks at the metal debris that act as a blockade in front of her, not seeing any way back. "No. I'm going to have to find a way around."

"What?! Are you crazy?! You can't go off on your own?!" Jaune, who is being pulled out of the metal debris, opposes against Pyhrra choice of action.

"It's the only way Jaune and I can't climb over. I'll meet you guys on the next street over, it's not far."

"Very well Ms. Nikos, be careful for the time being." Come Oobleck's voice from the other side.

"Yes sir." Pyrrha replies before walking off. Just then, she sees a dark figure move at the corner of her eye in the moonlight. She quickly brings her attention to the shape of a woman running along the skyline. _'Who...is that? Are they responsible for that?'_ She thinks, remembering that the billboard fell shortly after the mysterious red flash. With that thought in mind, she decides to pursue the mysterious woman.

* * *

Lara manages to make her way further into the factory without being seen as she continues her search for Adam. As she continues on, her scroll begins to ring indicating an incoming call.

"Lara, um, ma'am." Comes Hope's voice through the comm-link.

"What is it?" Lara replies to the young hunter with her usual a plain tone.

"I've just obtained map data of the factory that could be of use to you. I have Adam Taurus marked via signal from his scroll."

"Send it" The fanus tells her. Sure enough, Lara's scroll begins downloading the data Hope had sent to her. Pressing the button on her scroll, a small holographic diorama appears from the screen, displaying a red dot on the map that represents as Adam's location. A satisfied grin begins to form on the fanus's lips now that she has the exact location of her target. With that she continues on, heading towards a large double door that is just ahead.

"You know..." The young hunter starts through the comm-link. "I'm actually glad that I got to work with you ma'am."

"Why is that?"

"Well. In Atlas, you'll rarely see a fanus around. So I never thought that there would be fanuses in the brotherhood."

"Hope"

"Yeah?"

"We're not out here to make conversations. You're still on an assignment, stay focus." The fanus tells her in all business tone.

O-Oh! S-Sorry ma'am." Hope says in a nervous tone.

"And another thing..." Lara continues as she walks up to the double door. "Stop calling me ma'am."

"Huh?"

"I appreciate the formality but it isn't necessary." The fanus says as she places her hands on the door. "But thanks for the data anyway." With that being said, she pushes the door open as she walks in. Walking in, the fanus is greeted by the sight of White Fang members within the area attending to their orders. "Shit" Lara swears to herself.

One of the members catches sight of the hunter and is immediately put on alert. "What the- Intruder!" They yell out to the others. Before Lara knows it, every member in the area has their guns trained on her. One of the members took notice of Lara's attire. "A black crowfeathered cloak and a crow mask? It's one of those hunters!"

"Brothers and sisters of the White Fang! Don't shoot!" Lara yells as she holds up her hands. Given the situation that has currently taken place has already put them on edge. And now that a hunter is standing in front of them didn't make things any better. These fanuses are her people, her kind, and she doesn't have any intention on harming them. But the moment they pull the trigger, all of that will change in a instant. Slowly, she moves her hand to remove her crow mask, causing the other fanuses to tense up a bit.

Removing her mask and revealing her face, a look a shock and surprise appear on the fanuses faces seeing that she is one of them. "Listen to me..." She speaks out, wanting to reason with them. "I know exactly how you all feel. You want change. You want respect. You want to be seen as equal. I know, for I too use to be a member of the White Fang. I know that you are deeply loyal to Adam Taurus, but he is NOT the leader that you want. What you're doing is not going to get you what you want. Its only fueling the hatred that the humans already have for us. Please, put down your weapons and open your eyes. He is not leading you to the change you desire but to your own demise."

Silence filled the atmosphere as the fanuses lower they weapons as they begin to think. "Wait a minute?" One of the male members spoke up. "You just said that you USE to be a member. Then why should we believe what you say? You're a traitor!"

Lara's expression frown upon being called that by her own people. Something that really tugged at her heart strings.

"Yeah, why should we believe you? You betrayed us and sided with those hunters! Humans!" A female member shouts. "You should know the law of the White Fang. If you're not with us, then you're against us. And seeing that you're with the hunters, its obvious that you're against us!" With that being said, every gun in the area is trained on Lara again, numerous fingers itching to unleash a bulletstorm with a pull of their triggers.

"Damn" Lara swears to herself. "They're too blind to see what they're really doing. I have no choice." With that said, Lara's eyes begin to change color. Turning into the usual black and red.

"On my signal!" One of the male members shout out, making all of the fanuses ready themselves. "Fire-" Lara abruptly cuts the fanus off with an inhumane cry. A loud furious screech fills the air, causing the fanuses to scream in agony as they all drop their weapons in an attempt to cover their ears, trying to protect it from the ear splitting sound. The screech continues until all of the fanuses, except for Lara, falls to the ground after fading from consciousness.

"I'm sorry" Lara says to the conscious group of fanuses, seeing blood run of out from their ears. Just then, she hears the sound of footsteps coming down a set of stairs ahead of her. Looking forward, she sees a familiar face that instantly made her clinch her teeth in anger. Adam Taurus.

"You" Lara says with malice in her voice as she sees him walk down the stairs. Adam looks upon the unconscious bodies of his followers and then looks to Lara. "Who are you?" He said with no sign of surprise or shock in his voice.

"That's right. It's been six years since the last time we've seen each other, so my appearance may have changed a bit. Does the name Lara Belladonna ring a bell?" Still not showing any signs of emotions, Adam looks at the fanus for a minute before remembering who she is. "Oh. You're Blake's coward for a mother. So you're still alive."

"I see that you're continuing the actions of the White Fang's previous leader, but taking it to the extreme. Is this your way of leading our people to a new beginning? Stealing Atlas military weapons?"

"I see that you're still blind and naive as always." Adam says with a bit of emotion in his voice. "Do you really think that the humans will listen to us? Our kind have tried to talk with them for years and still nothing. They still walked over us and we did nothing about it! That goes to show that we can't be passive with them! The only way to get what we want is through aggressive actions! This is not just about change for our people! It's about revolution!"

"Tch, Revolution?" Lara scoffs. "What the hell do you know about revolution? You're just an arrogant little shit who refuses to open his damn eyes!"

"And you're a lost cause who abandoned her own people. No wonder where your daughter got her rebellious nature from as well as her cowardice." Lara's eyebrow twitches as she clinches her teeth in anger after hearing what he said about Blake. "Oh, so shes a coward because she opened her eyes, something that you can't do?! Enough of this shit!" She exclaims as she draws out her bowblade and points it at him. "I'm sick of this spreading corruption within the White Fang! And I'm going to get rid of it, starting with YOU!" Her black and red mist begins to emit from her body as her anger towards Adam continues to grow.

This causes Adam to raise an eyebrow. "That's..." Before he could get his words out, Lara uses her art of quickening to disappear in a black fog. Before Adam knows it, she reappears above him with her sword risen for a overhead strike, her Grimm mist still around her body. Using his reflexes, Adam swiftly draws out his red katana, his Chikage, and blocks Lara's attack as she comes down. A loud clash echoes throughout the area from the impact of the two blades colliding. The same black and red mist begins to emit from Adam's body as well as he pushes Lara off of him, causing her to slide back.

"That was..." Lara starts with a shocked expression before turning it into mean grin. "So you've gained supernatural abilities from your Grimm too. There is no way you've joined the Black Winged Hunters. Meaning you must've performed the ritual yourself somehow. Or someone else did it for you."

 _'That's right. She did say that they possess this same strength.'_ "That's none of your business." Adam said plainly as he gets into a stance with his sword. Lara let's out a chuckle. "You're right. It is none of my damn business, but killing you is. Frankly, I don't care how you got your link with your Grimm. Just know that I've been at this game longer than you."

Adam says nothing in response as he takes a stance with his Chikage, body emitting a Grimm mist, and takes off towards the cat fanus. Lara's Grimm begins to stir within her due to her anger. Her eyes begin to convert to it's black and red color as her Grimm mist emits from her body, lunging at him in return.

Just when they were about to clash again, a flock of crows suddenly appears in between the two, shortly followed by a red flash that intercepts the attacks and knocking both of them back. "What?!" Adam exclaims seeing that someone or something interrupted his attack.

Both of the fanuses watch as the flock of crows begin clear, revealing one of Lara's teammates. Scarlet herself. "What the- Scarlet?!" Lara yells at the Vileblood for interrupting her bout with Adam. Scarlet looks back at the fanus with a smile. "Kitty! You're aliv-"

"What the fuck do you think you're doing?! Get the hell out of my way!" Lara cuts Scarlet off with a venomous tone, her black and red eyes glaring at her for interfering.

"Glad to see you alive too Kitty." Scarlet says as she brings her attention towards Adam. "So you're Adam Taurus. I've heard a lot about you."

"Scarlet!" Lara calls out in the same venomous tone. "I'm not gonna tell you again. Get. Out. My! WAY!" The smile on Scarlet's face begins to fade as she looks back at the fanus from the corner of her eye. "You need to calm down and take a look at yourself. As always you're letting your emotions get the best of you. And you know what happens when you do that. Besides, I didn't come here to just interrupt your fight. I bring troubling news that I strongly suggest you act upon while you can."

"Huh?" Lara blinks with confusion.

"Someone you hold dear is in the factory and is hanging on by a thread right now. It's best you go before it's too late."

"Hanging by a thread? What are you-" Just then, Lara's acute sense of hearing picks up a shout that sounded like a cry of pain. The sound was a little faint, but she heard it clear as day. "Was that...Blake?!" Lara's eyes immediately widens after hearing the chilling sound of her daughter's painful cries. "Shit!" Without hesitation, Lara turn into a flock of crows as they scatter, leaving the area.

"Looks like it's just you and me for now." Scarlet says to Adam, her smile reappearing on her face. She brings her attention to his sword in his right hand. The crimson red katana catching her interest. "Your blade, it's red. So you have a Chikage too." She says with a raised eyebrow. _'Not only that. I'm also sensing a nice vibe from this gentleman. With two and two together, there is no doubt about it... Hmm. I am looking for more half-bloods to win over. Let's if I can 'recruit' this one.'_

Adam says nothing as he takes another stance with his Chikage in both hands. Scarlet raises another eyebrow upon seeing this. "You're not much of a talker, are you? Well I'll introduce myself. I'm-" Before she could finish her introduction, Adam suddenly lunges at her with his blade, not showing any interest of knowing her name as he aims for her neck. In the midst of the action, a red flash appears abruptly followed by Adam's attack being blocked by Scarlet's own Chikage. Holding her blade upside down with her right hand, Scarlet let's out a chuckle as the two are caught in a deadlock.

 _'What?! I didn't even see her move?!'_ Adam said in his thoughts, seeing that the woman is strong enough to maintain their deadlock with just one hand.

"Nah-uh-uh" Scarlet says as she waves her finger. "I wasn't done introducing myself. Boy oh boy, you're an impatient one, aren't you?" The Vileblood then takes notice of the stance the fanus was in before he attacked. "That style. That is the Laibo. My, you really are an interesting one. Where in the world did you learn that?" She asks with a raised eyebrow.

"What's it to you?" Adam said through his teeth as he uses both hands to maintain the deadlock he is in with the Queen. Scarlet let's out a chuckle. "What's it to me? Why I'm the one who invented it of course."

"What?" Adam eyes widen underneath his mask.

"See. I only taught two people that specific swordplay involving the Chikage. One is a lovable daughter of mine that is splitting image of me and the other is a dear little birdie that I've once trained. I know for a fact that my daughter is out of the question, so that just leaves the little birdie."

 _'Could she mean...?'_ Adam grits his teeth and pushes her off as he backs away to gain some distance between them.

"Oh? Did I hit it right on the nose? Well that explains a lot. You know, my orders are to capture you for interrogation. But after seeing three specific things about you, you've caught my interest. So I'm going to enjoy myself before wrapping things up. I'm expecting this to be quite fun. Don't disappoint me. Okay?" She says with a smile before making her first move.

* * *

Back in the city, Pyrrha continues to pursue the mysterious woman who she believes is the one responsible for the billboard falling on top of Jaune. She run through the streets while the mysterious woman is running and leaping from rooftop to rooftop. Knowing that she won't be able to do much of anything from where she is, Pyhraa sees an old fire escape on the side of one of the buildings. The scarlet warrioress runs and jumps towards the fire escape, grabbing on with both hands as she pulls herself up. She can clearly see that the fire escape is in a rickety state and could collapse at any moment. But right now, it's the quickest way for her to get to the top of the building. Fortunate for her, the fire escape is sturdy enough to allow her to reach the rooftop.

Now on top of the rooftop, Pyrrha sees the woman running on the buildings that are on the other side of the street that acts as a large gap between them. Looking down below, she sees large metal debris on the ruined city streets. With that, she uses her semblance to manipulate the metal debris, coming together piece by piece to form some kind of bridge to allow her to cross over.

On the other side where the mysterious woman is, Pyrrha bolts after her. The two run and dropped from roof to roof as the chase continues, also seeming like a game of tag and Pyrrha is obviously 'it'. "Shes fast. I have find a way to block her path." She says to herself, seeing that the woman is getting further and further away. Up ahead, she sees what looks like an old water tank on the roof a few feet away from the fleeing woman. Using her semblance once again, she cause the water tank to collapse, blocking the woman's path and halting her advance.

Now that the woman's path is blocked, Pyrrha is able to catch up with her. She sees that the woman has long raven black hair and is wearing a Grimm that covers her face. The woman she was chasing is Raven herself.

The Branwen stands before the old water tank that collapsed in front of her. Looking behind her over her shoulder, she sees Pyrrha standing a few feet away from her, catching her breath. Now that she has caught up with this mysterious masked woman, Pyrrha confronts her. "Who are you? Are you responsible for what's going on here?" She immediately questions the masked Branwen as she places her hand on the handle of her blade, getting on the defensive.

Raven doesn't respond as she turns to face the scarlet warrioress, slowly drawing her Chikage from it's sheath. Drawing out her own blade, Milo, and holding her shield, Akouo, Pyrrha readies herself for any signs of an attack. Without a word, Raven uses her art of quickening to disappear in a red mist, causing a wide eyed expression to appear on Pyrrha's face.

"She...she disappeared?" Pyrrha blinks with complete surprise after seeing the Branwen disappears in front of her. Just then she feels a presence from behind her. Turning her head to look out from the corner of her eye, she sees something coming towards her. Using her reflexes, the scarlet warrioress manages to quickly turn around and block Raven's incoming blade with her shield. Impact from the clash sent a shock of pain through Pyrrha's arms, causing her to grimace. Pyrrha despite the pain, she manages to look at her masked attacker, seeing the Grimm mask that covers her face.

Raven pushes against the scarlet warrioress with her blade, causing her to lean back a bit. Pyrrha tries to pushes back against Raven, but the Branwen provided to be much stronger than her. Without warning, Raven kicks the scarlet warrioress in the stomach with enough force to make her slide back. Looking back up, Pyrrha's eye widen when she sees Raven running full speed towards her. With a gasp of surprised shock, Pyrrha swings her blade to collide with Raven's. The Branwen wasn't done there, she continues with a relentless onslaught of attacks. Pyrrha struggles to keep up with the Branwen's speed as she tries to defend herself. Each attack she attempts always get stopped or parried by Raven's seemingly impregnable defense.

After managing to parry an attack with her shield, Pyrrha spins around with her blade ready to deliver a counterattack to the Branwen's left side. Seeing this, Raven flips her Chikage up with her right hand, spins around, catches it with her left hand now holding it in reverse and blocks Pyrrha's attack.

"What?!" Pyrrha gasps after seeing that her counterattack has been blocked. Knocking her back, Raven jumps with a tornado kick that hits Pyrrha in the chest. The scarlet warrioress is knocked off her feet and is sent roll across the rooftop. Winded from the kick, Pyrrha gets on her hands and knees as she tries to pick herself up. Looking up towards her attacker, she sees Raven silently walking towards her in the moonlight, with her Chikage back in her right hand. Pyrrha grits her teeth, clearly seeing that her opponent is far more skilled and stronger than she is. Pyrrha thought about shooting at the Branwen to prevent her from getting closer but due to the darkness of night, her visibility is poor. But she does have some light provided from the shattered moon.

Not wanting to waste bullets, Pyrrha does the next thing that comes to mind. In a swift motion, she throws her shield at the Branwen like a disc. Raven sidesteps the shield as it passes inches away from her face. Pyrrha holds out your hand, using her polarity semblance to bring it back. The shield comes flying back heading straight for the back of Raven's head. The Branwen lets out a chuckle when she sees that her Grimm mist has appeared and begin to act on it's own. Therefore, she stands there.

Pyrrha cocks an eyebrow upon seeing the black and red mist appearing around her attacker. As the shield homes in on Raven from behind, a dark shadowy figure that looks like a hand or claw catches the shield. Pyrrha's eyes immediately grow wide upon seeing this shadowy figure appear from the mist surrounding her attacker. "What...the-" Before she could finish her words, the shadowy figure flings the shield back a the scarlet warrioress, causing her to duck just in time as it flies over her head and strikes a nearby wall on the roof. Pyrrha looks back with wide eyes filled with disbelief, seeing that she shield is now stuck in the wall. If she hadn't ducked, her own shield would've taken off her head.

 _'How did she...?'_ Pyrrha begins as she looks back to her attacker, seeing the shadowing hand/claw retreat back into the black and red mist surrounding Raven. _'I can't fight her like this. And I doubt she'll let me go. I need to come up with a strategy, but first...'_ With that thought in mind, Pyrrha looks back at the huge metal pile behind her that use to be the old water tank she collapsed in front of Raven. With that, she spread out her arms, focusing on her polarity semblance causing the metal debris to levitate behind her.

Raven raises an eyebrow underneath her mask upon seeing this. Without a moment's hesitation, Pyrrha lets out a fearsome yells as she thrusts her arms forward, followed by the large metal debris flying towards the Branwen. Using her supernatural abilities, Raven transforms into a flock of ravens in the midst of the action as the debris hit the roof, creating a large dust cloud. Pyrrha, using her semblance to make her shield come out of the wall and fly back to her, is running towards the edge of the building's rooftop. She drops to another rooftop that is not far below, lands with a roll, and continues running. Trying to get as far away as she can from the building she was on.

Now in an alley, a good distance away from the spot where she fought Raven, Pyrrha takes this moment to catch her breath. She leans against a wall as air rushes in and out of her lungs. Sadly for her, she doesn't have any fast-acting medicine to replenish her stamina or heal what injuries she may have that her body is not allowing her to feel due to adrenaline rushing through her.

"This isn't good. I can clearly see that she's no ordinary foe." She says as she thinks back to the shadowy figure from earlier. "What...was that? Was it something that she can do with her aura? How do I fight something like that?" Multiple questions start to race through Pyrrha's mind, questions that she don't have the answers to. It's clear that this foe is far more skilled and powerful than she is, therefore she has to make some accurate assessments. Her best chance of beating Raven is if she reunited with her team and Oobleck, but given what she has seen from the Branwen, she didn't want to put they lives in danger.

As she is quickly trying to think up a plan, she begins to hear faint footsteps within the darkness of the alley. This made the scarlet warrioress immediately jump on her guard, tightening her grip on her blade and shield as she looks around vigorously. Not able to see where the footsteps are coming from as they get louder and closer. Pyrrha can feel her heart hammering within her chest as sweat begins to roll down her cheek. Just as soon as it started, the footsteps stopped. A moment of silence set in within the alley, an eerie silence that made the hairs on the back of Pyrrha's neck stand up. She looks to her right, then her left, and her right again still not seeing the Branwen anywhere. Even though she is alone, she couldn't shake the feeling of a presence of someone or something behind her. Which sent a shiver down her spine.

She holds her breath as she starts to turn her head slowly, seeming a little hesitant to do so due to the fear of seeing what might be behind her. Looking out from the corner of her eye, she doesn't see anything. She lets out a breath of relief seeing that there is nothing there. Feeling the weight of her fear being lifted as her heart beat starts to calm down. Bringing her gaze back forward, she suddenly gets punched in the stomach by Raven, the blow knocking the breath out of her as she coughs up a bit of blood. The Branwen's inhuman strength flings the scarlet warrioress through the air, out of the alley, and into the moonlit street. Pyrrha skids and roll as she lands on the street, her weapon and shield being knocked out pf her hands, being separated from them.

She coughs as she clinches her stomach with her right hand. Try to get on her hands and knees while gasping for air. At that moment she begins to hear the footsteps again. Raven steps out of the darkness of the alley as she walks towards Pyrrha with her Chikage in hand. The scarlet warrioress looks at the Branwen with a glare as she continues to walk towards her. Pyrrha brings her attention to her shield and sword which is few feet behind Raven.

With her quick thinking, she uses her polarity semblance have her shield fly through the air and head straight for Raven. Raven stops and looks back to see the shield speeding towards her. Just as before, the same black and red mist begins to emit from her body. _'There! Now is my chance!'_ Pyrrha exclaims in her mind as she uses her semblance to retrieve her blade as it flies into her right hand.

She lunges towards the Branwen, readying a surprise attack aiming for her neck. _'If that is a type of semblance that allows her to manipulate her aura, more than likely she has to concentrate in order to do it! I just have to catch her off guard the moment shes not focusing on me!'_ Just when Pyrrha is about to execute her plan, her attack is suddenly blocked by Raven's sword, which she uses one hand to do so.

"What?!" Pyrrha gasp after seeing how quick Raven reacted. Shortly after that, she witnesses the same shadowy hand/claw appear from Raven's Grimm mist and catches the shield once again. _'It still caught it?! But she was focusing on me? Could it be that it acts on it's own?'_

"Courageous..." Comes Raven's voice as she pushes against the scarlet warrioress, causing her to wince as she struggles against her strength. "Persistent. Calm. You're a quick thinker, but you've also shown to be quite stubborn. Those are the aspects I've seen from you so far. I'm curious as to what tragedies those aspects will bring you?"

* * *

"Come on Pyrrha. Pick up." Jaune says with worry clearly in his voice as he tries to contact Pyrrha via scroll. The members of Team JNPR and Oobleck made it to the location where they are supposed to reunite with Pyrrha just as planned. But sadly, she never made it.

"You don't think something happened to her, do you?" Nora said with worry in her voice also, given that the city is starting to be overrun with Grimm.

"Guys, we have to stay calm." Ren says to the two. "We just need to have faith in Pyrrha and-"

"Stay calm?! Have faith?!" Jaune cut Ren off. "Ren, this place is crawling with Grimm! Pyrrha said that she'll meet us on the next street over but she hasn't showed up and you expect us to stay calm?!"

"Panicking won't do us any good Jaune. All it'll do is attract more Grimm." Ren has a point there.

"Hes right Mr. Arc. Our best course of action now is find Ms. Nikos." Oobleck said to the blond before he gets another word out. Just then, Nora sees a group of figures not far from them in the distance. She squints her eyes trying to make what it is. To her, they look like people. Due to the darkness and the only thing lighting the ruined street is the light from the moon, she can't make out who they are. "Someone is coming our way guys." Nora announces to the group as she points in the direction of the figures coming towards them.

"Who's that?" Jaune pops the first question that comes to mind.

"I don't know. My vision is poor within is darkness." Oobleck answers his question. "Get on your guard." He instructs his students as he grips his weapon.

"What?" Jaune blinks.

"We don't know who it is. So its best that we don't get caught by surprise." Oobleck says to the blond.

"Hold on. We're here to find Ruby and her team, right? What if it's them?"

"We know, but what if it's not and it's someone else?" Ren states.

"Like who? Who could be out here other than Ruby's team?" Jaune continues to question.

"The White Fang is one possibility..." Oobleck tells him. "I'm not telling you to attack them Mr. Arc. I just want you to be on your guard and be prepared for anything." With that being said, Jaune draws his sword from it's sheath as he too readied himself.

Further down the street, Weiss and Yang carries Alexander on their shoulders while Ruby, having her Crescent Rose in gun mode, acts as their escort. With her eyes peeled and ears open, she remains vigilant for her sister and teammate, making sure that they are not being followed by anything or anyone.

As they continue on, Yang's sharp eyesight allows her to easily see a group of people in the distance. But due to the moon not providing enough light, she can't make out who they are. "Who's that?" She immediately pops the question that comes to her head. Weiss and Ruby looks ahead of them to see the group of figures as well.

"You think that could be Jaune's team?" Ruby asks her teammates.

"...Or it could one of the White Fang." Weiss adds in, knowing that could be a high possibility.

"Yeah. Let's hope its not Ice Queen." Yang says in response to that.

"So what do we do? We can't just attack them, what if it IS Jaune's team?" Ruby questions, fearing that they might attack the wrong people.

"Well we have to do something Ruby. We're carrying a sick man on our shoulders." Weiss replies. "Let's just get on our guard and be ready for what happens next. We have to protect Professor Clark."

"Sounds like a plan." Yang says as she and the heiress lay Alexander on the ground. Readying themselves with their weapons, the three girls form a wall in front of their sickly teacher. A moment of silence went by before Yang shouts at the top of her lungs. "Who are you?" Her voice echoes through the cool night air.

"That voice..." Jaune says upon hearing the brawler's fearless shout.

"Yang? Is that you?" Nora shouts back, recognizing the voice.

"Guys, it is them!" Ruby gasps upon hearing Nora's voice. "Guys, we need your help! Professor Clark, hes sick!"

"It is them!" Jaune says, feeling a bit of relief coming over him.

"Stay where you are! We coming to you!" Oobleck shouts to the girls as he and Team JNPR run to their aid.

Upon getting to them, Oobleck immediately attends to Alexander. "What's wrong with him?" Nora asks the three members of Team RWBY with a look of concern on her face. Weiss shrugs her shoulders in response. "I don't know? He just suddenly collapsed and had a seizure."

"A seizure?" Ren looks at the heiress with a cocked eyebrow.

"We believe that Alexander must have attracted an unknown illness. Or should I say 'rare' considering that the medication he takes was given to him by Ms. Valentine. But it seems that it keeps getting worse." Oobleck tells the students.

Ren looks around, noticing that Team RWBY is missing a member. "Hey guys, where is Blake?"

"I was gonna ask you the same thing about Pyrrha." Yang responses, noticing that Pyrrha isn't with them.

"Was Ms. Belladonna separated from you as well?" Oobleck asks.

"More like she ran off. We have no idea why." Weiss responses before looking over to Yang. "Since we're leaving Professor Clark with them, we have to go back and find her."

"Wait, I'll go with you." Jaune stops them. "Pyrrha is out there somewhere. I have to find her."

"Nora and I will stay and help Professor Oobleck get Professor Clark out of the city." Ren said, followed by a nod from Nora.

While the group is deciding their next course of action, Ruby is lost in her thoughts again. She begins to think back to the strange occurs that has happened earlier today. Aside from a weird dream turned nightmare. She began to see a weird black and red mist and not too long ago she was hearing her deceased mother's voice. She doesn't know what to make of what's going on with her. Could all of it have just been a figment of her imagination? Or is she in some sort of dream she can't wake up from?

No. It can't be. All of it seemed way too real. Especially when she fought that cybernetic wolf from earlier. Shes not in a dream and it wasn't a figment of her imagination. Taking a few steps away from the group, Ruby looks behind her to see if she is out of hearing range. "Mom..." She calls out in a low tone. "Mom? Are you there?" The silver-eyed girl waits for a response, but she never got it.

"Ruby!" Yang calls out to her little sister, grabbing her attention. "What are you doing over there? Come on, we're leaving."

"O-Oh, sorry." Ruby responses as she runs back to the group.

"As soon as you find Ms. Belladonna and Ms. Nikos, you will leave the city immediately. Use the trackers on your scrolls to find either myself, Ms. Valkyrie, or Mr. Li. Understand?" Oobleck asks the four, wanting to make sure that they'll follow his instructions. In truth, Oobleck loath the idea of letting four students venture further into danger terrorizes. But two students are missing. And since he has to give Alexander immediate attention, he doesn't have any other choice.

"We got it Professor." Yang response back before she and her group turns to leave. Just when they are about to leave, Alexander stirs as he begins to wake up. "Alexander" Oobleck calls out to the man upon seeing him regain consciousness. "You can rest easy now. We're getting you out of here." At that moment, Oobleck notices something strange about Alexander. Upon opening his eyes, his irises seem to have a hint of red in them. Looking towards the green spiky haired huntsman, Alexander's eyes instantly shot wide open as he suddenly latches out at him, wrapping his hands around Oobleck's pale neck.

"YOU SON OF A BITCH!" Alexander shouts at the top of his lungs as his grip tightens around Oobleck's neck. Oobleck struggles against Alexander's surprising strength as he tries to pry himself free from his death grip. "Alexander, it's me-"

"YOU FUCKING PIECE OF SHIT! I'LL SNAP YOUR MOTHERFUCKING NECK!"

"Professor Clark! Let him go!" Jaune yells as everyone, except for Ruby, rushes to Oobleck's aid. Alexander let's out a yell filled with anger and rage as everyone tries to free Oobleck from his grasp. While all this is happening, Ruby watches from a distance, frozen with widen eyes filled with shock and fear. Once again, she sees the same black and red mist emitting from Alexander's body as from earlier. But this time, its much darker and denser than before. "There it is again! What is that?!" She says to herself. Something about the this mist made her feel uncomfortable. She doesn't know how to explain it, but it feels like the mist gives off a sinister vibe.

Shaking her head to snap out of her shock, she rushes over to the struggling group, joining in to combine her efforts with their's. Upon joining, she grabs Alexander's arm with both hands. The moment she makes contact with him, the huntsman begins to feel the anger and rage within him starting to fade. A sense of calmness comes over him as he settles down, releasing Oobleck's neck from his grip. Oobleck immediately pulls away, holding his neck while gasping for air.

With his red eyes reverting back to it's normal brown color, Alexander comes to his senses. "Where...am I? What's going on?" Are the first words that comes out of his mouth when he sees a group of students surrounding him.

"Professor Clark? Are you...?" Weiss starts, gaining the huntsman's attention.

"Ms. Schnee? Were you able to...find Ms. Belladonna?"

The members of RWBY and JNPR all exchanged speechless looks with each other. Its as if he has no recollection of what just happened. Oobleck coughs as he gets up to his feet, regaining his breath. "Bartholomew?" Alexander says the spiky green haired huntsman's name while trying to sit up. "I assume...that you got my distress call."

"Save your strength Alexander. We'll get you out of here." _'His entire behavior changed. What just happened?'_ Oobleck thinks before looking to Team RWBY and Jaune. "We'll take care of him from here. Remember, once you've found Ms. Belladonna and Ms. Nikos, leave the city at once." With that being said, the four exchange looks before giving a nod and taking off.

* * *

The bout between Qrow and Aria rages on within the section of the factory they are in. During the fight, Aria set up numerous red strings throughout the area. Right now, the area is like a giant spider web. And Qrow is fighting in the middle of it, trying to be mindful of the strings so he doesn't get caught. Landing safely on a large pipe, Qrow's eyes vigorously scan the immediate area for his target. He catches a glimpse of something red shining in the distance. The Branwen jumps off the pipe he is on, just in time to avoid a red glowing arrow that causes an explosion after striking the large pipe.

As soon as he lands on a scaffolding below, multiple knives are immediately being thrown at him from above. Qrow sprints off, deflecting the incoming knives with his sword. Aria runs after him on her threads from above, her extra arms throwing knife after knife as she chase after her prey with child-like glee. "Isn't this fun little birdie?" She says with joy and excitement in her voice. "Two predators doing what it is 'nature' to do. Hunt or be hunted. What a joyous game this is. Both of us using our skills to see who will fall prey to who."

With a laugh, she jumps from the thread she is on and lands a few feet in front of Qrow on the scaffolding, causing him to stop. "I don't mean to brag or anything, but if you look around, I have the upper hand." She says with a smirk.

Qrow response with a smug grin of his own. "You think you've already won because you spun your little web. Well sorry to tell you, but I also have an ace up my sleeve."

"Oh really?" Aria raises an eyebrow underneath her Grimm mask that covers her eyes. With her staff of arms in her right hand, she makes it relax into a whip. "Then show me. I'm curious as to what that is!" She yells with joyous glee as she cracks her whip, sending an onslaught of attacks. Each swing of Aria's whip delivers a crack that echoes throughout the area, making Qrow tense up as he duck and dodges the attacks as well as blocking the bladed tip of the whip.

One of Aria's extra arms creates a red string on each of it's finger tips, catching Qrow by surprise by wrapping the strings around his left arm and begins pulling him in. "That's right. Come to mama."

"What the-?!" Qrow reacts by pulling against the thread that are drawing him in. He can feel his shoes slide on the scaffolding, something he does not want. While watching her prey struggle, Aria decide to give him a kiss of her whip. More like, it's bladed tip.

Seeing the bladed tip coming towards his face, Qrow instinctively moves to the left, feeling the cold steel cut his right cheek. The Branwen grimaces in pain as he takes his sword and cuts himself free from the red strings.

"Aww. I missed." Aria puts on a fake pout. At that moment, Qrow turns around and run, which entices Aria to give chase. The Branwen can hear the sounds of Aria's metal heels running on the scaffolding behind him. "Now, now. There is no use of flying away little birdie."

"You should know better than to chase after a crow. You'll catch yourself some bad luck." Qrow looks back with a smirk. As if on que, the scaffolding underneath Aria suddenly collapses. "What the hell?!" She exclaims as she falls. Red strings suddenly wraps around Qrow's ankle and pulls him down with her into the dust cloud. A moment later, Qrow comes flying out of the dust cloud, rolling and skidding as he did. In mid-roll, the Branwen throws his sword in the direction he is traveling, the sword striking into the concert floor. He recovers himself by rebounding off the floor and making contact with the sword's hilt with his feet. Using the sword to stop him as it slides back. The Branwen stands on top of the hilt of his sword with the his aura trying to recover the protective shield it had around him.

Soon after, Aria jumps out of the dust cloud and into the air. She lands on some nearby strings in a squatting position already preparing to launch a devastating red arrow at her prey. "Drop dead..."

 _'Shes gonna shoot that again huh?'_ The Branwen said in his thoughts as he quickly scans for a place to evade to. Not far from him, he sees a stone pillar. "Well Scarlet. Looks like I'll be putting that trick you taught me to good use." With that, he jumps off the hilt of his sword with a backflip, grabbing it's handle in the process. "I didn't have much time to work with it, but here goes nothing." Qrow gives his sword a mighty throw, the blade spins through the air until it strikes into the stone pillar Qrow wanted to get to, creating a echoing sound when it did. "Bullseye" The huntsman smiles, disappearing into a fog just in time to evade Aria's arrow that creates an devastating explosion.

Qrow reappears hanging onto the handle of his sword. "Phew. This trick really saved my ass." He sighs with relief after seeing the aftermath of Aria's projectile attack. Focusing his aura to the soles of his feet, the Branwen stands on the side of the pillar as he pulls his sword out of it's side. He winces in pain as he touches the stinging cut on his right cheek. Seeing the bit of blood on his finger tips starts to make his eyes glow with a scarlet red hue as he begins to feel that burning sensation from within again. Without warning, something latches onto Qrow's sword and yanks it out of his hand. "The hell?"

Bring his attention towards the thing that snatched his sword, he sees a spider-like Grimm on one of the strings reeling his sword in with the web in it's mouth. "A Black Spinner? When the hell did a Grimm get here?" At that time, the Branwen sees something coming at him from the corer of his eye. With his reflexes, he sways to the left, evading the bladed tip of Aria's whip as she runs up the pillar after him.

The Branwen looks down at his right hand, griping it into a fist before running down the pillar towards her. Dodging another attack from Aria's whip, he tightens his fist even more before punching her square in the face. The force of the punch knocks Aria off the pillar and sends her plummeting towards the ground. Qrow is shocked and surprised at the strength he just displayed with the punch. "Whoa. Is this the power she was talking about?" He ask himself, remembering what Scarlet said about the strength of the Vilebloods.

While he is gawking in awe, Aria shoots another arrow towards him while she falls. Qrow sees this but has nowhere to go. "Shit! I gonna have to rely on that trick again." With that, the Branwen jumps from the pillar's side, about to use his newly learned art of quickening. But before he could, the impact of the arrow's explosion sends him flying through the air and into a web of strings. Tangled up in the red strings, Qrow struggles to get free. "Shit!" He swears. Multiple Black Spinners begin to surround and approach their tangled up prey.

"Well, I guess that's that. A winner has been decided and the loser... Well. I don't need to say it, do I?" Comes Aria's voice as she approaches him. "Qrow Branwen. You were quite the interesting prey. I'll be sure to remember you."

Qrow chuckles with a grin. "Well I am full of surprises. I can't afford to be boring."

Aria gives a chuckle of her own as she holds a cold knife up to Qrow's chin. "Cracking a joke even in the face of death? You're right. You are full of surprises. By the way, remember the small talk we had about spiders and birds? As I said, there are spiders that are large enough to feed on a bird. The most common one is the Goliath Bird-eating Spider. And there is the Giant Huntsmen Spider, the one I represent. See, that particular spider is known to actively hunt it's prey. And since my prey has mainly been huntsmen..."

"The Spider Of Huntsmen" Qrow says her nickname.

"Heh, good memory." Aria credits him before putting the blade up to his throat. Just then, a flock of crying crows suddenly appears out of nowhere and surrounds the two. Within the crying flock, the strings that bind Qrow are suddenly cut, the Black Spinners that surrounded him are cut in half, and a glimpsing blade comes rushing towards Aria's neck which causes her to jump back.

Qrow suddenly feels a hand grab him by the arm and pulls him away to another spot. When the flock of crows finally disappears, he sees a woman with long blond hair wearing a black crow feathered cloak and a crow mask. It's one of Lucilia's three older siblings, Trish.

Qrow rubs his wrist due to the strings being tight on him. Looking at her attire, he realizes that its the same as Scarlet's. "Judging by your outfit, I'm guessing you're one of Scarlet's people."

"You can say that. And you must be the poor bastard that she decided to drag into this mess." Trish replies with her British accent.

"Heh, I don't think 'drag' is the correct word." Qrow chuckles.

"Well well, what do we have here? A hunter joins the fray." Comes Aria's voice. The pair looks up to see her lounging on a web of red strings. "You hunters are like cockroaches. No matter how many we squash, more of you keep popping up. Why don't you just end your struggles and come out of hiding already? What? You're afraid that you'll end up like the Silver-eyes?"

"The Silver-eyes?" Qrow says to himself.

"You cost us a lot of people that night you bloody bitch!" Trish says with anger towards the daughter of Salem. "I'll be putting my deceased brethren at ease by paying you back, with interest."

Aria raises an eyebrow underneath her mask. "That sounds like fun. Two crows against one spider. This is looking promising."

"Hey, catch." The hunter says to the huntsman as she tosses his sword back to it's rightful owner. "Since you're working with us, then I assume that you already know what's going on."

"Scarlet gave me the short version, so I have a general idea." The Branwen replies as he readies himself for the fight to continue.

"Good. Because I'm not much of an educator." The Arcana says as she draws out her Blade of Mercy.

* * *

"Where the hell are all of these Grimm coming from?! I thought we killed them?!" Yells a fanus as a group of six White Fang members open fire against the Beowolves and Ursi that surrounds them.

"Just keep shooting! They're almost down!" A female fanus shouts over the roaring sound of gun fire. Little did the fanuses know, three individuals stand on top a nearby building observing to conflict. These people wear ragged black cloaks with hoods that cover their eyes and a rope around their necks that is tried in a way that looks like a noose.

"Another prosperous night is upon us. Another night to fulfill the works of our shepherd." Came a male voice from the person standing in the middle. He steps forward, holding out a corked bottle in his hand that is wrapped in bandages. Inside the bottle is something that looks like a black fog or gas. "May our shepherd's works unravel the truth that shadows over this world and save us from the sins of our fathers! May his magnificent creation revive the blood within man which they should fear, so they may become what lurks underneath their frail! Fear the Old Blood! For Micajah!" He yells with a righteous demeanor.

"For Micajah!" Come the voices of a man and woman standing behind him. With that, the man pulls the cork out of the bottle and tilts the bottle so the black fog starts to seep out. Back to the face-off between the White Fang and the Grimm, the fanuses are on the verge of winning. It is at this time that one of the fanuses starts to feel a sharp headache which quickly turns into a migraine. He grimaces in pain as he puts his hand on his head.

A female fanus in the group notices this. "Hey! What are you doing?! We're not done yet!"

"My...my head. My- ARGH!" The male fanus screams in agonizing pain as he drops his gun and falls to his knees with both hands on his head.

"What the hell is the matter with him?!" One of the other fanuses shout over the continued roaring sounds of gun fire.

"The hell if I know! Make so those things don't get any closer!" The female fanus says as she kneels beside her suffering comrade. "My...mind..." The male fanus starts while breathing franticly, his body starting to emit a black and red mist. His eyes have turned black & red and black marks begin to appear on his face. "It feels like...its going blank. Its like I'm...slipping away."

The female fanus sits there utterly speechless by what she is seeing. _'What the hell is that?'_ Suddenly, three more of her comrades fall victim to this same strange phenomenon. All clinching their heads, screaming in pain with the same black  & red mist emitting from their bodies.

"What the hell is going on?!" Another male fanus exclaim as he and the female fanus watch their comrades cry out in pain. As this is happening, the female fanus notices that the Grimm that are still alive hadn't used this opportunity to go in for the kill. Instead, they sit there. As if observing them with confused awe. "They're...not attacking?"

"I feel...so...hungry." Utter one of the fanuses that are being affected by this phenomenon. For some strange reason, an extreme sense of hunger comes over him. He feels as if his stomach is an bottomless pit that yarns to be filled. This sudden overwhelming urge to eat is practically screaming at him, intense hunger pains starting to hit him hard. He looks up at his male comrade who has his back turned to him, currently distracted by the observing Grimm.

"Flesh..." He says in a low voice. "Warm...flesh!" His black and red eyes widen with utter delight as his mouth begins the water, his hunger screaming for what it carves. The fanus stumbles to his feet as he reaches out for his unsuspecting victim, his ravishing hunger growing even more. "Flesh. Flesh. Flesh flesh flesh flesh flesh flesh flesh FLESH!" He screams as he lunge for his comrade from behind.

"What the- ARGHHHHHH!" The other male fanus screams in agonizing pain upon being bitten in the neck. The female fanus quickly turns around to his screams, eyes immediately filled with horror upon seeing one of her comrades digging their teeth into his neck. The taste of meat combined with the metallic taste of blood made the crazed fanus's taste buds sing with ecstasy as he digs in for more.

Making snarling beast-like sounds, the other affected fanuses run to join in on the feast, their minds completely taken over by their Grimm. Their victim's elevating screams mingle with the sickening sounds of meat being torn as they rip into his abdomen with their nails, feasting upon his intestines and other organs. Bones being snapped as they break off limbs and ribs.. Their victim's screams falling silent.

Petrified with overwhelming horror, the female fanus could do nothing as she watches her comrades feast on the flesh and bones of one of their own. In the midst of this feeding frenzy, one of the crazed fanuses is pushed out of the group as they begin to get vicious and aggressive over the body. The next thing he does makes the female fanus's heart literally stop and send a cold chill down her spine. He looks at her. He finally acknowledges her presence amongst them.

With blood around his lips and skin hanging from his teeth, he gets up making chilling beast-like noises. Soon after, the other fanus also notice the woman, staring at her with crazed black and red eyes. All at once they lunge for her with terrifying cries. "MEAT!"

"No! Stay away from me! NO!"

* * *

"What was that?" Jaune asks his group after they heard an echoing blood-curdling scream not far from the street they are on. "It sounded like someone screaming." Yang adds in. "Wait. You guys don't think..."

"It could be Blake!" Ruby blurts out.

"...Or Pyrrha!" Jaune adds in. With that, the two exchange nods before running off towards the direction of the scream.

"Hey, wait! How can we know for sure?" Weiss yells out to them.

"There is only one way to find out Ice Queen." Yangs tells her before going after them. Ruby and Jaune race towards the direction of the scream with hopes that they'll find either Blake or Pyrrha. After taking a right turn at a corner, the two come to a old deteriorating tractor trailer. Upon getting there, they are immediately struck with horror by what they are seeing. Shortly afterwards, Yang and Weiss caught up with them.

"Did you find them?" Weiss asks while panting a little bit. Still struck with shock and horror, Ruby and Janue didn't answer her question. "Guys, what's wrong-" Yang starts to ask but cuts herself short when she realizes what they are looking at. Not far in front of them, they see the group of fanuses eating one of their own with the Grimm. The female fanus looks at the four with blank lifeless eyes as her own kind rip into her body.

"Are they...eating each other?" Ruby says with a sick horrified look on her face. Jaune, looking equally as terrified, couldn't believe what he is seeing. Yang starts to feel a slight pulsating feel in her stomach. She believes that this gruesome act is making her sick on the stomach, like it would for any normal person, though actually its her Grimm trying to give her a warning of the immediate danger. Unfortunately, she doesn't know about this. Weiss on the other hand actually is feeling sick on the stomach from seeing this and decides that they should leave while they still can.

"I can't watch this anymore." She shakes her head with an utter look of disgust towards the repulsive scene as she turns and walks away with haste. As she hurries away, she see a shadow on the ground due the moonlight. She quickly looks up, only to catch sight of a fanus sitting on all four like an animal on top of the tractor trailer. The moment she sees them, they leap off the tractor trail and lands on top of the Schnee. Weiss let's out a scream as the crazed fanus takes her to the ground, causing her companions to quickly turn around.

"Weiss!" They all shout in unison.

"Finally..." The fanus says in a voice filled with ecstasy and delight. Their black and red eyes stare down at the Schnee as saliva drips from their teeth, which are now fangs, onto Weiss's delicate face. Much to her dismay. Along with the fangs and the black & red eyes, a black skin reaches across half of the fanus's face, giving them a half fanus, half beast-like appearance. "I GET TO EAT A SCHNEE!"

"Get off!" Weiss shouts as she fights again the man-eating fanus that threatens to devour her alive. The fanus grabs Weiss's right arm and begins laughing like a madman before chopping down, sinking their teeth into her arm. Weiss let's out a blood-curdling scream from the pain.

"You taste...YUMMY!" The fanus's voice sings with pure bliss through their teeth. Their taste buds rejoicing as they ravel in the ecstasy of Weiss's Schnee blood.

"GET HIM OFF!" Weiss shouts in pain. Jaune comes to the rescue with his sword drawn out. "Get off of her! I'm warning you!" He yells but the fanus is too interested in his young victim that he ignored the knight. Without thinking, Jaune raises his sword over his head. With a fierce yell, he brings his blade down upon the back of the fanus's skull, resulting a sickening crack. Jaune pulls the blade out the fanus's skull and Weiss pushes them off her.

Jaune looks down at the blood dripping from his sword and then looks towards the dead fanus that is now in a pool of blood. "What did I just do?" As he looks at the pool of blood that surrounds the body, he starts to get this strange feeling. It feels like someone lit a fire within him, burning him up inside. Something he never felt before.

"Weiss!" Both Ruby and Yang franticly run to the Schnee's aid. "How bad is it? Let's me see." Yang says as she begins to pull back Weiss's sleeve that now has a huge blood spot where she was bitten. Upon pulling it back, the sisters can a nasty bite wound on Weiss's arm and it looks deep. Weiss grimaces from the pain, wishing that it would stop.

"He actually did bite her. What do we do?" Ruby asks her sister with a frantic look. Yang didn't answer her sister's question. Due to the sight of blood from Weiss's bleeding wound, Yang's Vileblood side starts to stir, her lilac colored eyes begins to glow with their usual scarlet red hue.

"Yang?" Ruby calls out to her sister, snapping her out of the her gaze.

"Huh? O-Oh yeah. We need to get out of here first." Yang replies back.

"Well we better make it quick, because I think they noticed us." Jaune says as he points to the other fanuses. One of the fanus begin sniffing the air. "What's that smell? It's blood? The sweet smell of blood! It's enough it make a man sick! It makes my hunger GROW!" At that moment, another one of the fanuses notices the four hiding behind the tractor trailer and let's out a haunting cry followed by the rest giving psychotic laughs and hoots.

"Weiss, get up! We gotta go!" Yang tells the heiress as she helps her up.

"You think I don't know that!" Weiss snaps at the brawler due to the pain she is in. With that, the four takes off in the opposite direction of the cannibalistic band of fanuses. As they run, they hear the fanuses psychotic laughs and crazed voices shouting from the top of their lungs.

"Consume the flesh and spice it well! Let the bones be burned! May their meat be seared and satisfying! Their blood quenching my thirst that I will earn! "

"What the heck are we they saying?" Jaune says as he looks back, seeing the fanuses dead on their tail.

"Isn't it obvious?! They're talking about eating us! If you don't think so, then you're more than welcome to stop and ask them!" Weiss shouts with slight irritation, pissed that she was bitten. The four make a left turn, entering an alleyway with hopes of losing them. Yang opens a gate that leads to another part of the ally, holding it open as they run in. As soon as Yang closes the gate, she backs away just in time before one of the fanuses came out of nowhere and slams against the gate, sticking their arm through the gaps trying to reach for her.

"I'll devour my enemies, their children too! Rip them up! Chop them up! Chew them up! I'll make do! Eat them cooked! Eat them raw! Eat them short! Eat them tall! It doesn't matter, I GET THEM ALL! IT WON'T BE LONG, UNTIL YOU FALL!"

Yang backs away from the gate even more. "That scent..." The fanus says in a low eerie tone. "Are you affected by the madness that sleeps within us as well? No, you're different. You can bend it to your will, can you?"

"Yang!" Ruby calls out to the brawler. "Help us move this dumpster! We can use it to block the gate!" With that being said Yang runs and joins the others as they all push a rusted old dumpster. Due to the rust, it is a little difficult to move it, but they managed to move it against the gate. Just as soon as they put the dumpster in place, it suddenly begins shaking violently follow by loud banging.

"You're trapped! Like cornered swain! Lambs to the slaughter! Your blood is ours! Your flesh is ours! Your bones are ours! The beasts will feast tonight!" Yell one of the fanuses follow by them howling psychotically. Jaune looks around only to realize that there is no place for them to go. "Uh guys, it's an dead end."

"Great! Just great! How do we get out of here?!" Weiss says with annoyance, wincing due to the throbbing pain from the bite.

"I'm trying to think." Ruby looks around for an escape route. She then notices a fire escape on the side of the building, and luckily, she also sees an open window. More accurately, there is no window at all, just an opening. "There is an opening window. We can use the fire escape to reach it."

"Alright, sounds good to me." Yang agrees with the idea.

"Okay. But how do we reach the ladder?" Jaune questions as he points up to the ladder that is out of reach. Remembering what she learned from her aura training, Ruby concentrates as she focuses her aura to the bottom of her feet. "There is one way..." With that, she takes off up the wall of the building, maintaining her focus until she reaches the fire escape.

"Good! Now drop the ladder!" Yang yells up to her. Doing just that, Ruby manages to get the rusting ladder to side down. "Okay Weiss, you go first." The brawler says to the heiress.

"How do we know for sure if this thing will hold?" Weiss questions as she places her hand on the ladder.

"Well if it doesn't, then we're all fucked. It's as simple as that."

"That's not very assuring Yang."

"Just get up the ladder."

"Guys, I don't think the dumpster is going to hold them off much longer." Jaune announces the situation with the dumpster, seeing it starting to budge. "Knight Boy, you're next." The brawler says to the knight.

"No, you go-"

"Jaune, just go. I got this." Yang cuts him off. With that, the knight gives a nod before heading up the ladder. "Yang! Come on!" Ruby shouts from above. Just as when Yang starts to climb onto the ladder, the dumpster suddenly goes flying and skids pass her. Looking over her shoulder with a look of disbelief, she sees the crazed fanuses, standing at the busted open gate, their bodies almost completely covered by a black skin and their appearance looking more beast-like. Given their appearances, shes not sure if she can even call them fanuses.

The brawler begins climbing up the ladder with haste. But when she does, she feels a hand grab her ankle. Its one the fanu- things. This creature lets out a growl as it tries to pull Yang to her death.

"YANG!" Ruby screams with terror. Doing the first thing that comes to mind, she takes out her sniper rifle and aim down it's scope, going for a headshot on the creature. Yang keeps a tight grip on the ladder as she repeatedly kicks the creature in the face. With each strong kick, she can feel the creature's grip around her ankle starting to loosen. Just when it is about to let go, Ruby pulls the trigger, sniping a quicksilver bullet clean through the creature's skull. The creature let's go of Yang's ankle as it falls lifelessly to the ground below. Without a moment to waste, Yang climbs up the ladder reaching the others.

"Phew. That was a close on-" Yang's words are cut short when Ruby suddenly tackles her a hug. The thought of her sister almost getting eaten alive scared her half to death. Now that they're inside the building and safe from danger for the time being, the group have Weiss sit in an old chair so they can have another look at her wound.

"Weiss, we're going to check the bite again." Ruby says as she starts to pull back the Schnee's now blood soaked sleeve with Yang using her scroll to provide light. The moisture build up along with the blood underneath made the sleeve stick to Weiss's skin like a piece of tape, given resistance to Ruby trying to pull it back. The silver-eyed girl tries to be as gentle as she can be, the sleeve making a sucking sound as it is being pulled off the skin. Weiss's face grimaces when the sleeve gets up to the bite, the moisture and blood making it pull on the wound.

Now that the bite is visible the group can see this condition it is in now. Without treatment, it will get infected. "We have to take care of that bite. Now." Yang says to the group. "Does anyone have any fast-acting medicine, bandages, and alcohol?"

Ruby shakes her head. "No. Professor Clark have those supplies, remember?"

"Shes right. Why didn't we grab any before we left?" The brawler says to herself. "What about you Jaune?" Jaune shakes his head as well. "I'm in the same boat as you guys."

Yang swears to herself after hearing this. "Well. There is one thing that we can do." The brawler says as she walks off to the part of the room that seems to be a kitchen.

"...And that is?" Jaune pops the question.

"Loot. We're going to see what we can find around here." She answers as she check cabinets and drawers. Ruby looks towards Jaune. "Its worth a shoot." Jaune shrugs his arms as he and Ruby joins the brawler in her search.

"This city has been abandoned for how many years? I doubt you'll find anything useful lying around." Weiss says to the three.

"You'll never know until you try Ice Queen. If we can find any form of alcohol, then we can clean the wound." Yang replies as she continues searching for anything they can use to treatment Weiss's wound. So far, they have found nothing. Putting her hands on her hips, the brawler hangs her head and sighs. "Dang. Nothing." At the corner of her eye, she sees a can sitting on the counter. Walking over to the can and looking inside, she frowns by what is inside. Maggots.

"Ah gross." She says with a disgust look. While looking at the larva, she remembers Kazato saying that the hunters of his village would use these things for medical purposes. At first she thought he was bullshitting, so she decided to look it up herself and found out that they can be used for medical purposes.

Looking to Weiss and then to the can of maggots, the brawler thought an idea that made her own skin crawl. "I'm sorry to do this to you Weiss." She says to herself before picks up the can and walking back to Weiss.

"What's in the can?" Weiss asks as she hold her arm.

"Weiss..." Yang starts, already knowing that the Schnee isn't going to like her idea. "I wasn't able to find any medicine. But I did find something that can help us, so I'm going straight to the point. I'm gonna put maggots on your arm."

"WHAT?!" Weiss exclaims to this repulsive idea, startling Ruby and Jaune who is searching through the room. "Is this your idea of a joke Yang?! You can't be serious!"

"Look, we can't find any alcohol to clean the bite nor do we have anything to stitch it with. At least these things will keep your wound from getting infected until we get back to Beacon." Yang says in defense. Weiss shakes her head vigorously, still rejecting the idea. "No! I rather lose my arm!"

"I know this is going to be gross, but I need you to be strong here. That is a bite Weiss. It won't take long for infection to set in. Now I'm going to use these maggots one way or the other. Either you let me or I'll hold you down myself and do it."

Weiss can see the look in the brawler's eyes. She know she is serious about this. "Okay fine. Just hurry up and get it over with." She gives in as she holds out her right arm. With that, Yang tugs on Weiss left sleeve, wanting to use as a bandage. Weiss immediately gives her a look. "What are you doing?"

"I'm gonna need something to cover the wound." Yang tells her. Weiss didn't say anything else as she let the brawler continue. Yang rips off Weiss's left sleeve, much to the Schnee's dismay. The brawler frowns, knowing that she has to get some of the maggots onto her finger in order to apply them to the wound. Ruby and Jaune stand by as spectators. Watching this gross ordeal with cringing expressions.

Weiss looks away with disgust, not wanting to see this. After getting some of the larva on her finger, the brawler place the maggots on the wound. Weiss immediately tenses up, feeling the slimy critters move around in her wound. She bites her bottom lip, trying her best to resist the urge slap the brawler's hand away and somehow dig the larva out. Now that the gross part is over, Yang takes Weiss's ripped sleeve and bandages the bite.

"There you go, all done. How do you feel?"

Weiss gives the brawler a look. "You just put maggots in my arm. How do you think I feel?!" Yang rubs the back of her head as she gives a nervous laugh. "I knew that was coming. It was a stupid question."

"So what are those things supposed to do again?" Jaune asks, not fully understanding the use of the maggots.

"From what I learned, they'll eat any dead tissue that may be in the wound, as well as bacteria that will cause infection." The brawler explains to him. "Alright guys. We have to keep moving, we still have to find Blake and Pyrrha."

"Yeah the sooner we get back to Beacon, the sooner I can get these things out of my arm." Weiss says with slight irritation due to the tingling sensation she feels in her wound. With that being said, the group processes to head out. As Yang follows suit, Ruby tugs on her shirt to grab her attention. "Yang, can I talk to you for a minute?"

"Sure Rub, what's up?" Yang turns to her sister, using a positive tone to lighten up the mood.

"Well...um..." The silver-eyed girl starts, seeming a little uneasy. "Back there...I shot one of those things. You don't think..." The brawler has an idea of what is going through her little sister's mind, given what they just went through. "Ruby..." Yang places her hand on Ruby's shoulder. "You saved my life back there. It had to be done."

"Yang you've seen it yourself. Those things...they weren't monsters. They were... And I just... What...what's going on? I don't understand any of this." Ruby couldn't comprehend with the things she just saw back there. None of it made any sense to her. She then feels her sister's arms wrap around her in a warm embrace. Yang can clearly see the frantic look of confusion in her sister's eyes. She is right. Those weren't monsters, they were...people. And Ruby just killed one of them to save her sister's life.

"Hey, I'm confused too. I'll be lying if I said I wasn't shaken up back there. All that matters right now is that we're still here together. After we find Blake and Pyrrha and get back to Beacon, we'll see what we can find out about what we saw. Okay?" The brawler says to a warm smile to cheer her sister up.

"Okay" Ruby replies with a small smile of her own before they left to catch up with Jaune and Weiss.

* * *

Blake finds herself leaning against an old manufacturing machine the area she is in, out of sight of her assailant who is looking for her. Holding her right side in pain, the fanus staggers through the narrow pathways of the old machineries. She had taken such a beating, she couldn't keep count of how many times her defensive aura depleted and had to regenerate.

She is now extremely wary and anxious as she slips through the nooks and crannies. Just then, she sees something move that the corner of her eye. She immediately retreats back, hiding in a narrow space between two machines. Taking a slow peak around the corner, she sees what she feared. Blood. The child of Salem stands on top of one of the machineries, scanning the area for the fanus. With a silent gasp, Blake brings herself back. Her heart rate starts to increase as fear and anxiety sets in. Whoever this is in the red cloak and Grimm mask, she doesn't believe that their normal. She doesn't believe that they're a man nor woman. Human nor Fanus. To her...they're a demon.

For what felt like an eternity, Blood eventually moves on, allowing Blake to take a breath of relief that they didn't find her. She can't fight Blood on her own. She has to get out of there. She has to get away. Just when she is about to proceed on, a hand suddenly reaches down and grabs her by the hair, pulling her out of the narrow space. The fanus lets out a painful shout as Blood holds her by her hair with their left hand. They found her. With their right hand, they grab Blake by the throat with a choking grip.

The fanus's eyes grow wide as she feels her airways being cut off. Despite the pain she is in, she uses what strength she has to try and free herself, but to no avail. With one arm, her assailant throws her like a rag doll to an open space where there are no machines. Blake rolls on the ground when she lands, being separated from her Gambol Shroud in the process. She groans as she tries to get up. But when she tries, Blood suddenly appears and kicks her in her injured side.

Blake cries out in agonizing pain as she rolls across the floor again. Her assailant then stomps on her injured side, making her scream even louder. As a final act to finish this vicious attack, Blood picks the fanus up by the throat again, preparing a visceral attack with their right hand that is aimed for her abdomen. Blake no longer has any strength left to resist. She is beaten, battered, and in so much pain.

She gives up, closing her eyes to await the death blow. She can't win. She figured all along that her bad habits and decisions would get her into a situation like this. Perhaps...this is for the best. All her life she considered herself as a black cat. Bringing misfortune to whoever she cross paths with. Anyone she let near her either gets seriously hurt...or worse. Mainly because of her. Her team is probably dead because of her. And if not, then she'll be doing them a favor in the long run. This...is her tragedy.

Just when the death blow is about to be delivered, a figure suddenly appears from as black fog in front of Blood, follow by a powerful elbow driven straight into their abdomen that sends them flying through the old machineries. Blake is dropped to the floor, gasping for air as she holds her side in pain. Looking up, she see a person with long black hair and wearing a black crow feathered cloak. Their back is turned to her, so she couldn't see their face. The person who saved her...is Lara. Her mother.

 _'Who...is that?'_ Blake thinks upon seeing her mysterious savior. Lara turns around and sets a bottle of fast-acting medicine on the concert floor in front of her daughter. Lara keeps her head down as she did this, not wanting to make eye contact with Blake. The fact that someone just tried to kill her daughter already set her blood to its boiling point and its taking everything she has to contain it right now. If she sees the condition Blake is in, she'll lose her shit. Luckily, she is wearing her crow mask. So Blake can't see her face.

Without saying a word, Lara gets up and turns around, ready to take off. But before she does, she stops. "Listen…" She says to her daughter who is still on the floor. "If you want to live to see the light of day then you'll do as I say. Once you've drink the medicine I've given you and your injuries heal, you'll leave immediately." With that said, the fanus disappears using her art of quickening.

"Wait!" Blake calls out to the hunter but she is already gone. She doesn't know why, but something about her voice felt…familiar.

Not far from where they were hit, Blood climbs out the rubble that use to be old machinery. Snapping their gaze upwards, they see Lara in the air above them with her Grimm mist emitting from her body. "GRIMM!" She yells with bloodlusting rage. Four apparitions of Beowolves bearing their fangs burst out of her black and red mist, rushing towards their meal. Blood jumps back, evading the apparitions as they collide with the rubble of machinery with a loud boom and violate shake, resulting a huge dust cloud.

Upon landing, four more Beowolf apparitions burst out of the dust cloud rushing towards Blood once again. The child of Salem jumps into the air to evade the ghastly figures. The moment they do, Lara suddenly appears in front of them and delivers punch across the face with her right fist. With her left hand now covered with a black skin, she grabs Blood by the throat as they plummets to the concert floor below. The fanus repeatedly punches her enemy in the face with her right fist that is also covered with a black skin, which indicates she is using her supernatural strength to drastically increase the impact of her punch.

While they are being punched, Blood catches Lara's fist with their left hand and delivers a right hook across the face, knocking her mask off. Due to her murderous rage and adrenaline flowing through her, the fanus doesn't feel a thing as she headbutt her enemy in the face in retaliation. The two crash into the concert floor with enough force to create a small dust cloud. Shortly afterwards, Lara is sent flying out of the dust cloud while in the clutches of giant Beowolf claw. The giant claw slams the fanus against a pillar and holds her there. When the dust cloud clears, it reveals the Blood's right arm has transformed into the giant claw that is crushing the hunter against the pillar. Use their power, a tail of a Death Stalker appears behind Blood from underneath their cloak. The tail rushes towards the struggling fanus. The moment Lara gasps, the giant stringer impales her through the chest.

Eyes wide, the fanus can feel the life quickly leaving her body as she falls limp. Just when Blood thought that they won, Lara suddenly appears from behind with her art of quickening, going for an attack. Seeing this, Blood quickly draws out one of their triguns and shoots the fanus in the head before she could attack. Around that same time, the real Lara appears from the front preparing a visceral attack with her right hand.

Blood looks to the Lara they had just shot to the Lara that is impaled by their stringer, their bodies still there.

"You may have gotten away with crippling the brotherhood! But if you touch my child, I'll tear you apart!"

* * *

 **AN: Thanks for reading everyone. Sorry if the cannibalism part made you feel a little sick on the stomach or the whole maggot thing made your skin crawl. Lol. You will see more fucked up stuff as the story goes on. Not too fucked up, I know some people have limits.**

 **Very soon I'll will introduce an antagonist character I've been working hard on. I've dropped his name and mentioned him a few times. I seem to find joy in writing villains more than heroes. This guy I hope you like. I want to make a good first impression for his appearance.**

 **Anyway, thanks for reading. If you've haven't already, please favorite or follow this story or me. If you want, leave a comment. This is Chronicles calling this a wrap.**


	15. End of the Terrors

**AN: Welcome back everyone, I'm here again with another chapter. First off, I want to apologize for this chapter being a long one. The are things in this chapter that has to happen before the story can move on again. And I don't let events drag on for more that 2 to 3 chapters.**

 **Anyway, in this chapter I will show you guys Raven's semblance that I've made for her. As you all know, I got this story out before vol.4 was released. And when they displayed a bit of Raven, I was surprised that how parallel I was at writing her. I was spot on is her survival of the fittest mentality and her doing what she thinks is right. Remember when she told Summer that revealing the truth of the world is what's right for Remnant? The only contrast between my version of Raven and Rooster Teeth's version of her is their motives. One the cooperating with Salem to expose the world while the other is against Salem but also has her own agenda.**

 **I've a strong feeling that the semblance I've made for her might be in the show. If I'm spot on about this too, I'm gonna flip. At the end of the chapter, I'll example how I used it. Anyway, I've talked for too long. Hope you guys enjoy. Please favorite or follow and leave a comment.**

* * *

Sneaking through an area of the factory filled with metal storage containers. Kazato and Rize find themselves crouching on top a set of metal storage containers staked on top of each other. Since the area of the factory they are in is outside, the two stay in the shadows provided by the night, staying clear from the search lights that scan the place.

"Do you see that Leon guy around here somewhere?" Rize asks her brother as she looks upon the group of fanuses that patrol the area.

"No, I don't." Kazato responses back to his sister.

"You gotta be kidding me!" Booms a loud angry male voice that catches the sibling's attention. Bringing their attention towards the direction of the enraged voice, they see a man wearing a red-lined white suit, black pants, a bower hat, and a cane in his hands standing on a second level walkway. It's Roman Torchwick himself. "Does she really expect me to get all this disgusting cargo out of here by nightfall?! What the hell am I?! A pack maul?!" Roman yells in anger at Emerald and Mercury who stands in front of him with Neo at his side.

"Look pal. We're already out of time. Just stop bitching and get it done." Mercury says to the criminal. Wearing the same beige colored cloak as Cinder and Emerald. Roman looks that the teen with a glare. "That's easy for you to say! Just who the hell do you think you're talking to?! And why does she want this stuff out of here so quickly all of a sudden?!"

Emerald starts to grit her teeth with annoyance due to Roman's constant complaining. "Stop questioning and just do what she says! It's bad enough that we have to babysit you!"

"Babysit?! Excuse me?!" As the three continue to go back and forth, the siblings watch from a distance.

"Well what do we have here? I take it that they are on the enemy side." Rize says as she watches.

"A high possibility. But whoever they are, they are not our target." Kazato replies.

"Buuut..." Rize starts. "We could try and take them in as well. More people for the hunters to interrogate." Even though she has her crow mask on, Kazato can tell that she has a daring grin on her face. "Whoa, hold your horses hedgehog." He calls her by her hated nickname, receiving a small growl from her. "There is two of us and four of them. That won't be no walk in the park."

"Come on Kazato." Rize says in an urging tone while holding her right fist up to her chest. "We're hunters. Cursed Hunters. We've raided old tombs and hunt Grimm for fun. Hell, we've grew up in Grimm infested environments. With all that, I pretty sure that we can take these chumps."

"Don't get cocky sis. Unless you wanna end up like me." Kazato points to his forehead. Mentioning the scar he has underneath the bandage covering it.

"That makes the risk a lot more fun." Rize replies with enthusiasm in her voice. Kazato just sighs and shakes his head. It's like he is talking to a wall. A very stubborn one at that. Just then, one of the search lights shine down upon them, giving away their position. "We have intruders!" Yell a White Fang member at the search light.

"Dammit!" Kazato swears while shielding his face from the bright light.

"What do you say bro? Are they our targets now?" Rize asks him a rhetorical question. "Shut up!" He responds as they jump off the storage container they are on.

"Who's that?" Mercury asks no one in particular when he sees the siblings.

"You gotta be kidding me..." Roman walks up to the railings, recognizing the black crow feathered cloaks and crow masks. "It's those damn hunters again!" Remembering his encounter with Edward, the sibling's deceased uncle, anger and annoyance begins to hit him. "Neo, take care of them. You two, be useful and join her. I have a little surprise for these damn hunters."

* * *

Lucilia finds herself engaged in combat with the target Team KREL was hunting for. The infamous pirate/second-in-command of the White Fang, Leon Mustang. The lion fanus lets out a tiresome yawn as he duck and dodge attacks from Lucilia's Reiterpallasch. "Come on, I'm starting to get bored here. Is that really all that you got?" He says out of boredom.

Soon after those words Lucilia disappears with her art of quickening, earning a raised eyebrow from the bored fanus. The young Arcana reappears behind the pirate, sending a left kick aiming for the left side of his head. A smirk appears on the pirate's face as he blocks the kick with his left arm. He kicks back with his right foot, hitting the Vileblood in the stomach.

Lucilia flies and rolls on the cold concrete floor. Leon turns around with a smug grin on his face and his hands casually in his pockets. "Hey, that was a nice trick there."

"That's not all I have up my sleeve." Lucilia says under her breath before activating her semblance. She creates a gravity field under the fanus's feet. "What the hell?!" Leon suddenly feels his body being weighed down by an unseen force, using his strength to keep himself standing. Lucilia feels her blood start to boil as fire begins to engulf he right hand and travels to her Reiterpallasch. The young Arcana swings her rapier-saber hybrid, sending a wave of fire that threatens to broil the fanus medium-rare.

Leon's body begins to glow with a yellow hue just before the wave of fire makes contact and results an explosion. Lucilia raises to her feet, keeping her guard up with anticipation of something to come. Sure enough, Leon burst out of the smoke in a yellow flash, catching Lucilia by surprise with his speed. He grabs the platinum-blond haired girl by the throat, picks her up and slams her against a nearby wall.

Lucilia lets out a cry of pain. Naturally, she places both hands on Leon's wrist as his grip around her neck tightens. "I've never killed an Arcana before." He says, watching the young Vileblood struggle and gasp for air. He examines Lucilia's delicate face, a grin appearing on his lips. "Say. You're quite the looker. But you're a bit too young for my taste." As Lucilia continues to fight and struggles, her seemingly glowing purple eyes start to turn to a burning scarlet red. Leon raises an eyebrow upon seeing this change.

"Hands off my fam!" Comes a young female voice. Elisa appears above the two with her art of quickening, coming down towards Leon with a heel drop. Leon releases Lucilia as he backs away to evade the blond. "Lucy, are you okay?" Elisa asks the Arcana as she raises to her feet.

"Fam? And since when did my name become Lucy?" Lucilia asks the blond.

"We're both Vilebloods, right? So we're technically family. We stick together." Elisa says with a grin as she confronts Leon. "Also, it's either Lucy or Lu? Either works for me."

"Lucy will be fine." Lucilia sighs after being practically forced to choose a nickname for Elisa to call her. Leon examines Elisa's hunter attire, realizing it's the matching description of the hunters he heard about. "Hey Blondie" He calls out to Elisa. "You're one of them hunters, right? I heard a lot of stuff about you guys. You and your freaky powers. I've been wanting to have a crack at one of you. Looks like today is my lucky day."

A huge grin forms underneath Elisa's crow mask as she pounds her fist into her hand. "If it's a fight you want fur ball, then it's a fight you'll get."

"Elisa, don't get any bright ideas. He is not a push over." Lucilia warns the young blond.

"You think I don't already know that?" Elisa replies back. "If he wants to feel the strength of a hunter, then I'm gonna give it to him."

"You're not even a full-fledge hunter." Lucilia arguably states. "What makes you think you can fight him alone?"

"I never said I was going to." Elisa replies. "This is like a boss battle. Two of us and one of thim, so we have the advantage in numbers. So naturally, we'll fight him together. He push, we'll push harder. It's as simple as that." Lucilia only sighs and shakes her head as she readies herself to continue the fight. _'Of course she would relate this to a bloody video game.'_

* * *

Ruby and company walk the rooftops of buildings that are connected together. The group of four travel in silence as they proceed, getting closer to the factory. As they walk, Yang looks down at the streets below. Seeing the Grimm overrun the streets. The brawler looks back to her silent group, seeing the spaced out looks on their faces. "So is this how it's going to be the entire way? Silence? No one saying anything?"

"What do you expect us to say?" Weiss says to the blond.

"I don't know? Something. Anything to try and lighten the mood here." The brawler responses as she shrugs her shoulders.

"Lighten the mood? After what we've seen back there and what happened to me, you expect us to lighten the mood? In case you've already forgotten, Ruby and Jaune had to kill two people to safe our butts. How can we lighten the mood over that?" Weiss motions to the spaced out expressions on the faces of the silver-eyed girl and the blond.

Yang let's out a sigh. "I know that. But we-" A loud beast-like roar that sounds robotic suddenly drowns out the brawler's voice. Jaune is immediately startled by the sound, snapping out of his thoughts. "What was that?!"

"I don't know? It sounded...weird." Ruby's eyes widen as she looks around vigorously. Yang looks down at the streets again, this time seeing a creature she has never seen before surrounded by Grimm. This beast-like creature stands on all fours, having a robotic appearance to it and a hulking body type. It seems to have tentacles on the back of it's head and it's tail has a blade at the end glowing with a green aura. "Uh. Guys..." Yang motions them to check this out.

The Grimm surrounding the robotic beast gives out a roar before a Beowolf lunges for it. The mecha-beast gives it's own cybernetic roar before clawing the Grimm with it's right claw, sending it flying into a nearby wall. A Beringel, a gorilla-like Grimm, is the next one to jump in with it's right fist. The mecha-beast quickly whips around with it's fangs, catching the Grimm's arm and slamming it to the ground. The beast places it's claw on the Grimm's lower body as it rips it in half. All at once, the Grimm lunge in from all directions. The mecha-beast retaliates by swinging it's bladed tail with a 360 degree turn, cutting through all the Grimm as if they were nothing but tissue paper.

The beast let's out another chilling cybernetic roar as it claims victory over the fading bodies of the Grimm. The group watch with shocked expressions from the conflict they had just witnessed.

"Whoa. It just took out those Grimm like they were nothing." Jaune says in an amazed tone.

"What is that thing?" Ruby asks no one in particular. As they sit there and gawk in awe, the robotic creature happens to look up and see them standing on the rooftops. Giving another cybernetic roar, the beast runs towards the side of the building they are on and digs it's claws into the wall, and climbs up the wall at a rapid pace.

"Whoa! Whoa! It's climbing up! IT'S CLIMBING UP!" Jaune screams as the group runs to get away from the edge. The beast jumps and lands in front of the four teens with a shake. It swings it's bladed tail at the teens with another turn.

"Duck!" Ruby shouts as the four barely manage to avoid getting cut in half by it's tail.

"Hey Weiss! Is this also one of those Atlas Bio things you were talking about?" Yang asks the heiress. Remembering what she said about Atlas developing Bio-weapons.

"Yeah, I...I think so."

"Any idea how to fight this thing?" Jaune throws the next question at the heiress. As the four try to think of their battle strategy, the mecha-beast stands up on it's hinds leg, surprising the four with it's 18 feet in height. "Wait. It can stand up?!" Jaune exclaims with shock clearly in his voice. The beast raises both of it's claws, tightening them into fists and bringing them down to crush the four. The group splits up in an attempt to evade the attack. Ruby and Jaune dodge rolling to the left, Yang and Weiss dodge rolling to the right.

The beast strikes the roof with such brute force that it causes the side of the building were Ruby and Jaune are to start collapsing. "RUBY!" Yang shouts at the top of her lung as she dashes towards the collapsing side of the building, followed by Weiss.

"YANG!" Ruby screams with terror as she holds out her hand to reach for her sister. Yang reaches out for her sister's hand in a desperate attempt to save her, only to miss her fingers by an inch. Both of the sisters locked terrified eyes before both Ruby and Jaune plunges into the darkness below, their chilling echoing screams ringing through the brawler's ears.

"NOOO!" Yang screams as she falls to her knees in despair. Weiss stands close behind her with a wide eyed and slack jawed expression. Weiss is snapped out of her horrified shock by the roar of the cybernetic beast that is still standing on it's hind legs. _'Crap, I forgot!'_ "Yang, get up! That thing is still here!" The heiress yells as she frantic shakes the brawler's shoulder. Yang doesn't respond. Sitting there with her fists balled up tight and tears running from her eyes as the look of despair remains on her face.

"Yang! Screw it!" Weiss says the last part to herself, seeing that the brawler is not snapping out of it. With her Myrtenaster in hand, she runs and confronts the bio-weapon. Hoping to somehow hold it off until Yang recovers from her shock. The beast bringing down another fist in an attempt to crush the Schnee. Creating a glyph underneath her feet, Weiss disappears in a white flash, evading the massive fist before it hits the roof. The heiress reappears on the beast's arm, clicking the revolver chamber on her Myrtenaster's to fire Dust as she runs up it's arm. The beast swings it's arm in an attempt to throw her off. Jumping off into the air, Weiss unleashes a powerful explosion right in front of the beast's face, receiving a cry of pain in return.

Before she knows what's coming next, a massive fist rushes through the smoke and hits the heiress head on. With a shout of pain, Weiss is sent flying through the air and slams into a brick wall, knocking her unconscious. Luckily, her defensive aura protected her from the impact before going out. With the scream reaching her ears, Yang slowly looks over to see an unconscious Weiss lying on the concrete roof. The brawler clinches her teeth in furious rage as her anger starts to stir up her inner Vileblood, her lilac eyes becoming a burning scarlet red.

The beast brings it's attention back to the brawler, seeing that she is now on her feet. With a furious cry, the brawler runs towards the beast in a blinding rage. Her Vileblood traits increasing her running speed. The beast sends a punch towards the charging Vileblood only for her to evade with a quickstep to the right. She uses her Amber Celica to rocket towards the beast's face, delivering a devastating punch that causes the beast to stumble back a bit. Yang isn't done there.

She latches onto the beast and unleashes an vicious onslaught of punches upon it's face. Her punches getting harder and more powerful as her hatred grows. She snaps her gazes back to see the beast's hand coming for her. With that, she jumps off to avoid being grabbed and rockets toward the beast again. But this time, the beast catches her with a swipe of it's right claw. It keeps a tight grip on the blond as she struggles to get free.

With the brawler now in it's clutches, it begins crushing her with both claws together. Yang screams with agonizing pain as she feels her body being squeezed. As this continues, a black and red mist begins to emit from the brawler's body. Yang's screams of agony turns to beast-like growls of rage as her eyes start to turn a demonic black and red, black markings beginning to appear on her face.

The beast can feel it's massive claws being pried open by the brawler's granted supernatural strength. A black skin with glowing red markings covering her arms, Yang let's out another furious inhumane yell, freeing herself from the beast's clutches and delivers a devastating blow strong enough to slam the beast down onto the roof. Receiving a cry of the cybernetic beast.

The brawler lands on top of the beast's chest, slamming it back down when it tried to get up. With the fires of rage still burning within her, she relentlessly punches the beast in the chest. As the onslaught continues, the Grimm mist around her body grows with her anger. Her blows becoming stronger and faster, breaking through the armor plating, that protects the beast's chest, with extreme malice. Yang's fists becomes covered with a white substance from her victim's chest that splatters with each punch. This white synthetic blood pools around Yang and her victim as she continues.

The Bio-weapon's systems begin to malfunction and shut down due to the excessive damage it took and the mass loss of synthetic blood. Yang continues her onslaught despite her victim now being motionless. In the heat of her rage, she grabs the beast's tail and proceeds to swing it around, despite it's massive weight. The brawler throws her lifeless victim into the air. Furiously screaming at the top of her lungs and clinching her fists tightly, her Grimm mist bursts upwards after it's airborne prey. Multiple glowing red eyes and jaws appear within the black and red mist as it surrounds it's victim. Rapidly eating away at it's body, deteriorating it into dust, leaving no trace of it behind. Erased from existence.

The mist fades as the brawler begins to come to her senses. "What...just..." She winces a little due to a sudden small headache. She feels a little out of it. She looks down at her hands to see that they are covered with a white substance as well as splatters on her clothes. "What is this stuff on me?" She then hears a groan that catches her attention. Looking over, she sees Weiss lying near a wall, groaning as she regains consciousness.

"Weiss!" Yang calls out as she frantically runs to her aid.

* * *

Ruby awakens on the cold concrete ground, groaning as she regains consciousness. With a pounding headache, a ringing in her ears, and her vision blurry, she manages to sit up. Her vision is starting to clear up and the ringing in her ears is starting to settle down, but the headache doesn't seem to be going anywhere. It feels as if staying unconscious would've spared her from this pain.

Looking around at her surroundings, she finds herself on another street surrounded by the rubble from the building she fell from. "Guys!" Ruby gasps upon realizing that she is by herself. After frantically looking around for her companions, she doesn't see anywhere near her. Worry begins to get to the silver-eyed girl as she raises to her feet. "Yang! Weiss! Jaune! Are you guys around here!?" She shouts out into the quiet night, sadly not receiving an answer. Her worry for their well-being begins to grow.

"I hope they're okay." She says to herself. She then realizes that the factory is only a short distance away. Where Blake is. Ruby wants to go and find Blake, but that the same time she is worried about her friends and wants to find them as well as. She is torn between which to do. Just then, another crazy thought came to her head. Despite it not working last time, she gives it another shot.

"Mom?" She calls out to her decease mother, hoping that she'll respond this time. "I'm stuck, can you help me? What should I do?" She speaks with hope in her voice. Sadly, Summer still didn't respond to her child's plea. Now, doubt is starting to set in within Ruby's mind. Did she really hear her mother's voice? Or was her mind just playing tricks on her? Seeing that the only path before her is the one to the factory, Ruby decides to continue towards her destination. Hoping to run into the other's along the way.

As the silver-eyed girl continues down her path, she has no idea that she is being watched. Standing on top of one of the nearby buildings, a man wearing black and red armor and a Grimm mask watches the girl with his arms crossed. It's the son of Salem, Hades himself.

"So this is where that scent is coming from." He says as he watches Ruby. "It is much too strong for it to be a Cursed Hunter. And it smells too much like the Moon. That could only mean..." Memories of his encounter with Summer back in Yharnam begins to make his rage arise within him. With that, he decides to follow the silver-eyed girl and observe her more before coming to any conclusions.

* * *

"Come on! Aren't you Adam Taurus 'The Devil'? That is your nickname, right?" Scarlet laughs as she taunts an irritated Adam during their bout. The two engage each other in flashes of red that intercept with each other within the area of the factory they are in, the sounds of their blades clashing echoing throughout the area. The Vileblood queen chuckles with amusement as she deflects Adam's incoming attacks with ease, her Chikage in her right hand and fighting in a laid back manner. So far she is impressed by his speed and strength, but sadly it isn't enough to break through her impregnable defense.

Adam on the other hand, is having a hard time with the pure-blood. Each attack he makes is interrupted by her own Chikage. But the part that irritates him the most about the fight is the smile Scarlet keeps on her face. He feels as if she is playing with him, taking him lightly. The masked fanus clinches his teeth while tightening both hands on his own Chikage, lunging towards the hunter. Scarlet simply chuckles as she collides her Chikage with Adam's, maintaining the deadlock with just one hand. With both hands on the handle of his katana, Adam tries to push against the woman, but her red muramasa doesn't budge.

"You're quite strong and skilled. Color me impress." She says as she pushes against the fanus, making him struggle with her inhuman strength. "Let's take this up a notch, shall we?" Scarlet pushes Adam off, causing him to slide back, and swipes her blade cutting the high level walkway underneath them. Without the walkway, Adam rapidly plummets towards the concrete factory floor below. "Grimm!" He yells, his Grimm mist reacting to his call. A shadowy figure of a claw reaches out from the mist surrounding him and garbs a nearby pipe, swinging him to safety.

"You keeping up?" Comes Scarlet's voice from above. Adam brings his gaze upwards, seeing the Vileblood standing upside down underneath a pipe that is above him. The queen jumps towards him with her Chikage, causing Adam to grit his teeth as he jumps off the pipe before the woman cuts it in half. The debris from the pipe falls and collides with other large pipes and walkways, creating an avalanche of falling debris that creates a huge dust cloud upon hitting the factory floor.

Landing on the floor below, Scarlet scans the area for the half-blood she is, in her words, _playing_ with. "Now. Where did he run off to?" Right after those words, Adam appears from above with his art of quickening. "My sword!" He yells as he cuts his thumbs on his blade. "Drink my blood! **BloodCain**!" With that command, his red Katana consumes the blood he has sacrificed to it, his blade now glowing with a scarlet red hue.

Scarlet looks up to seeing him coming down at her. "Oh, there he is." The Vileblood deflects Adam's attack as she backs away, but the fanus wasn't done there. Tightening both hands on his sword's handle, he sends a side slash which also gets interrupted. Not wanting to give her a chance to attack, Adam dashes towards and runs up a nearby wall, runs along it's sides, and jumps off at the hunter from above.

Scarlet raises an eyebrow as she collides with his attack yet again. Adam continues his string fast pace attacks, switching his Katana from hand to hand as he did. "Hey hey! Now we're fighting!" Scarlet says with joy and amusement as she collides with Adam's attacks, she too switching her Chikage from hand to hand. The sounds of their blades colliding acted as music to her ears, and her movements seems as if she is dancing to it's melody. She parries Adam's next attack, leaving him open.

She then grabs him by the collar, tosses him upward, and spins around sending a slash with her blade. Lucky for Adam, he managed to block the attack in time in mid-air. Scarlet chuckles and gives the fanus a wink. "You better keep blocking."

"Wha-" Before Adam could get a word out, multiple unseen slashes begin hitting him abruptly, causing him to ball up in defense as he holds up his Chikage to try to withstand the incoming attacks. Adam struggles to keep up his guard as these unseen attacks continue. Eventually, he couldn't keep it up anymore, thus the attacks breaking his guard. Scarlet smile grows seeing that she has broken through his defense. With that, she spins around and catches him with a kick that sends him flying into the dust cloud created by the falling debris.

Scarlet let's out another chuckle. "Oh come on! I'm just starting to have fun! Don't tell me you're gonna quit!" She yells out to the fanus. As if on que, she starts to feel a strong vibe coming from the dust cloud. Shortly afterwards, Adam burst out of the cloud running straight for the woman with murderous rage. As his rage grows, his blood starts to boils, causing his right fist to become engulfed with flames.

Scarlet's expressions lit up with delight upon seeing this. "Now THAT is what I'm talking about!" She says, switching her Chikage over to her left hand. Adam throws his blazing punch, flames bursting around the two when Scarlet blocks it with her Chikage. "So, she taught you how to use your flame huh?" The queen says as she holds up her right fist. "Well then. Allow me to show you mine." With that being said, Scarlet's fist becomes engulfed with flames of her own, causing Adam to widen his eyes underneath his mask.

An explosion shortly occurs, followed by a screaming Adam being flung back and skidding across the concrete floor. "Damn...it!" Adam growls with irritation as he gets on one knee. "Who...the hell...is she?!" It is clear to him that this woman, who ever she is, is far more skilled than he is. Just then, multiple metal shards comes flying out of the smoke cloud where the explosion had occurred.

"What?!" Adam exclaims as he quickly gets on the defensive and deflects the incoming shards. He can feel the impact of the shards hitting his blade. The fanus takes off running, trying to get away from the incoming shards being thrown at him. Disappearing with his art of quickening to escape the barrage of shards, Adam reappears on a second level walkway, thinking that he is safe for the moment. But that moment is short lived by the sounds of rushing footsteps coming from behind him. ' _Dammit! How could she have found me so fast?!' A_ dam thinks as he quickly turns around in time to defend himself against another incoming barrage of metal shards. The moment he does, Scarlet is in front of him holding her Chikage in her mouth by it's blade. She giggles as she delivers a kick to the fanus's chest, causing him to roll across the walkway.

The fanus slams his back against the railing of the walkway, grimacing from the pain as he is in sitting position. Scarlet's footsteps can be heard coming towards him. He reaches for his Chikage but realizes that it isn't there. "Looking for this?" Scarlet asks him with his sword in her left hand. _'When did she...?!'_ The fanus tries to get up but finds her blade pointing at his throat.

"Nah uh uh. Not another move. I've been wanting to talk to you since we started this dance. But with the way you were acting, I never could find the opportunity. So let's take a breather from fighting and just have a friendly talk. What do you say?"

Adam doesn't respond to her question. Scarlet sighs as she rubs the back of her head. "You're not much of a talker, are you? Well then, I'll start off the conversation." She says as she leans against the rail next to her. "We are the same, you and I. In more ways than one. You seek change for your people, a new beginning for them. I too seek the same thing for my people. Long story short, I come from a race known as The Vilebloods. And we carry a…infamous reputation, much like the White Fang does for the fanuses." She says, her expressions turning a little grim. "And it is because of that reputation that our kind was hunted to the brink of extinction. Luckily, by some miracle, we managed to survive and recover. But our kind is not like it used to be. Over the years we have scattered, grown apart. There are people out there that don't even known their origins. Hell, they don't even know that they are Vilebloods."

She continues on. "Unfortunately, the people who almost wiped us out are still around and we're still on the hunt. Luckily, they're having a hard time finding us since we're scattered and blended in with the world population. The one who put us in this situation doesn't have control over our kind like she once has. For the time being. I see this as an opportunity for the change I want. A new chapter for my people. A chapter where history won't repeat itself."

"So what if your kind is being hunted. What does that have to do with me?" Adam says bluntly. Not caring about Scarlet's story in the slightest. This causes a small grin to appear on the queen's lips. "Oh but Adam, you're on our side. You're one of us."

"What?" Adam raises an eyebrow underneath his mask.

"The people that are hunting us, you have picked a fight with them several times. And if they find out that you are a Vileblood, they'll be hellbent on killing you and they'll send their best Executioners to do the job. And given that you're a wanted criminal, well... I don't need to say it."

"I'm one of you? You really expect for me to believe that bullshit?" Adam says to the woman, clearly showing that he doesn't believe a word she said.

"No, I didn't expect you to believe me, but let me ask you these questions. Have you ever done something or acted a certain way without really knowing why? When I showed up, did you suddenly feel a burning sensation from within? Have you wondered why you're able to use your blood the way you do or able to conjure fire from your body?" As these questions continue, thoughts start to fill Adam's mind. He has experienced these things before, but never gave it much thought.

You're what my, no, OUR kind calls a Half-blood. So technically, you're on two sides. A Fanus and a Vileblood. Aside from the traits, what really gave it away was this sword of yours." She looks at Adam's red katana in her left hand. "The Chikage is one of the special blood weapons of our kind and only a Vileblood can use their rites. If a non-Vileblood tries to use the weapon, it will bleed them dry. Thus, killing them due to blood loss." She then brings her attention back to the fanus. "Adam, I want you to join me. I've been searching for the many Vilebloods that are scattered across Remnant to help make a stand against Annalise, our first ancestor and queen. In return, I will help you achieve the change you want for the fanuses. But..."

Adam looks up at her after hearing that word. "You'll have to learn how to achieve that goal in a different way. Violate actions is the main reason why the Vilebloods were almost wiped out. So what do you think is going to happen to the Fanuses?" Scarlet asks him.

"For someone who wants change, you don't seem to get it at all." He says as he stands up. "This world doesn't just give things to the weak. No matter how much they cry and beg."

"Who said anything about crying and begging?" Scarlet responds. "Thought I can't blame you for thinking that way. You're still young and have a lot to learn. Right now, you're just doing what you think is right."

"You make it sound like there are plenty of other options."

"If you get to live as long as I have, then you'll see that there are multiple ways. So what do you say? Wanna join?"

"I don't give a damn about your kind." Adam says coldly, causing Scarlet to sigh. "Is that so? So you're gonna turn your back on your own people-"

"You are not my people!" Adam cuts her off, with a hint of anger in his voice. "I know who my people are and the fact that you're trying to fill my head with something that could be a lie..." Adam isn't going to believe a single thing this woman had said. He knows hundred percent who his is and he knows where he belongs. And the fact that this woman is trying to tell him otherwise...

 _'Qrow was less stubborn and easier to talk to than this one.'_ Scarlet sighs with slight irritation. "Well then. It looks like you made up your mind." She says, getting off the rail she was leaning on, a grin appearing on her lips. "Your loyalty is with the fanuses, which I can repeat that. After all, they are your people, but so are the Vilebloods. I can't force you to join me in my efforts, but I will convince you that you ARE a Vileblood. One shouldn't be lost when it comes to knowing their origins. Since the easy way didn't work, I guess I'll do this the _fun_ way." She tosses Adam's Chikage back to him. "How about we finish this dance, shall we?"

Adam says nothing as a black and red mist begins to emit from his body. Underneath his mask, his eyes turn black and red, black markings appearing on his face, and his teeth becoming fang-like. Given this along with the horns on his forehead from his fanus heritage, he takes on the appearance of his nickname. A devil. He holds his Chikage with both hands as he takes a stance. Scarlet raises an eyebrow upon seeing that he is using his Grimm, her grin turning into a smile. "Oh? Are we getting serious? Very well. But to be fair, I won't use my Grimm. I'll just use my semblance instead. Now I wonder how _dangerous_ this dance will get."

* * *

Lara jabs her hand through Blood's torso with her visceral attack, a grin of satisfaction appearing on her face. But that satisfied grin soon fades when she realizes that her target doesn't seem to be fazed at all. With their trigun in their left hand, Blood moves to take a shot at the fanus's head.

"Shit!" Lara swears to herself, reaching for her own gun with her left hand that is free. Before Blood could get their gun in position to shoot, a quicksilver bullet suddenly shoots through their hand, causing them to drop their gun. As usual, Blood doesn't make a sound nor show any signs of pain as they look towards the direction where the bullet came from. Up above on a giant molten pot is Lara's daughter, Blake, taking shots at her target.

 _'Dammit! I told her get out of here!'_ Lara exclaims in her thoughts. She draws her Hunter's Pistol and takes aim at blood's head. The moment Blood turns to face her, she pulls the trigger, firing the bullet dead in their face. Still not making a sound, Blood grabs their face as a reaction to what happened. With this opportunity, Lara takes her left foot and pushes herself off of Blood, while at the same time, freeing her arm from their body. With that, Lara dashes for her crow mask, swiping it off the ground as she gets away from her enemy.

Seeing that the hunter managed to get away, Blake transforms her gun into it's blade form. She then cuts one of the chains on the old molten pot, causing it to hang from the last remaining chain. She cuts the last chain, then transforms her weapon into a whip and swings herself to safety as the molten pot falls.

Blood looks up only to see a large object coming down from above, crushing them underneath resulting a small dust cloud. Blake swings herself over and lands safely on a steel beam. She looks upon the dust cloud with a look of anticipation, knowing in her mind that wasn't enough to kill her assailant. She then hears a thud, the sound of something landing on the left side of her. Looking over, she sees the hunter that saved her life, squatting down on the steel beam.

Now that she has better a look at this mysterious person, she can automatically tell that they are a fanus given the cat ears. She brings her attention to their attire, seeing the crow feathered cloak and crow mask. An outfit she never seen before. "Who are you? And who was the person that attacked me?" Blake didn't waste any time to start hitting the hunter with questions.

While these questions are being asked, Lara is having an internal conflict. Fear is striking her pounding heart, hammering in her chest. The fear isn't from the situation that is at hand, it's from being face-to-face with her daughter. She already told herself that she wasn't ready for this. Luckily, the only thing protecting her, her only means of safety and security, is her crow mask. Concealing her identity.

Lara feels that she should answer but is reluctant to, due to her fear. Fear that Blake might recognize her voice. She already spoke to her once, she doesn't want to try her luck. Just then, the old molten pot that Blake dropped on top of Blood suddenly flies out of the dust cloud, catching the fanuses attention. Immediately afterwards, a figure shoots out of the cloud, running along the walls and leaping from beam to beam with inexplicable speed.

The two fanuses look around frantically as their eyes try and fail to keep up with the figure. "What is that? Is that the enemy?" Blake asks the hunter while trying to keep her eyes on the fast moving silhouette of the figure.

 _'Damn their fast.'_ Is the first thought that goes through Lara's mind. She then notices something else about the figure, it seem to have something that looks like a tail, four of them. _'What is that? I can't keep it out. Whatever it is, it's definitely not something good'_ A moment after those thoughts, the figures jumps off a wall with enough force that rockets them towards the fanuses.

 _'Shit!'_ Lara swears in her mind before quickly taking Blake by the waist and jumping off to another steel beam, avoiding the figure as it destroys the beam they were just on. Speechless from the shear speed of their assailant, the fanuses see the figure drop down on the same beam they are currently on. Stepping into the moonlight shining through the many holes in the factory ceiling, it reveals to be Blood. This time, Blood has four black tentacle-like appendages coming from their low back; these appendages emits a black and red mist as well as red energy coursing through them.

Blake remains speechless but with wide eyes this time. Lara, on the other hand, grits her teeth seeing the direction this fight will take them. Knowing that she'll definitely be using her supernatural abilities from this point on, she links with her Grimm. Blood sends a thrust with one of their tentacle-like appendages, causing the fanuses to separate as they leap off the beam to avoid the attack. Blake leaping to the right, Lara leaping to the left. Now on separate beams, Blake deploys her Gambol Shroud while Lara deploys her bowblade, both running towards their target on both sides.

* * *

Back to Kazato and Rize, the two find themselves soaringly out matched in terms of numbers. Three against two. Neo, Mercury, and Emerald versus the pair of siblings. The siblings fight together in synchronization, fighting as one against the odds. Kazato swings a slash towards Neo with his curved sword. The fun-sized chocolate strawberry swirl ducks under the swing and goes in from below.

She grabs Kazato's right wrist and twists it, causing him to yell in pain as he drops his Burial Blade. With that, she kicks him in the stomach which causes him to hill over. Placing a hand on his back, she flips over him and kicks him in the butt. As Kazato stumbles forward, Mercury gets him with a kick of his own. The young Vileblood becomes a human punching bag, being mercilessly kicked back and forth by both Neo and Mercury.

 _'Enough of this shit!'_ Kazato swears in his thoughts with irritation as he uses his supernatural abilities to let out a loud beast-like screech. The ear splitting screech halts his attackers, both of them covering their ears to block out the sound. Seeing that they are stunned by his screech, Kazato takes a knee as his sister comes and places her hand on his shoulder. Rize uses her momentum to swing her body around, keeping her hands on her brother's shoulder for support as she intends to deliver a whirlwind of kicks.

Neo opens her eyes just in time to see this coming and performs a backflip to avoid the kicks. Mercury, on the other hand, wasn't as fortunate and gets kicked in the side of the head, causing him to stumble back.

"Damn. These guys are more of a problem than I thought." Rize says to her brother as they stand back to back.

"Nah, the REAL problem is that chocolate strawberry swirl looking bitch!." Kazato motions to Neo.

"Looks like you're having fun down there." Come Roman's voice that echo through the area they are in. The sibling's attention is brought to a gigantic Paladin standing on top of a platform with Roman standing on the edge of the cockpit. "So, there is a rumor saying that you hunters can't die. Well we'll see about that. Neo, get the ships ready. You two, tell Cinder that we're leaving. I'm gonna put this rumor to the test." He gives his orders as he jumps into the pilot's seat in the cockpit. Roman takes control of the giant mechanized suit as it activates. The Paladin jumps off the platform and lands of the factory floor with large shake.

"You gotta be fucking kidding me!" Kazato yells with annoyance. "I have had enough of fighting these damn robots!"

"Pussy! He needs a giant robot to fight a couple of kids! Damn he's pathetic!" Rize laughs.

"You and Elisa are just like mom! How the hell can you laugh at a time like this?!" Kazato gives his sister a look.

"Easy. Just laugh." Rize responds with another laugh. The situation making her daring side take over. "Come on, let's take him on."

"What?!"

"If we take this thing down, then we are officially badasses. Hell, the hunters might be so impressed that they'll make us full-fledged Black Winged Hunters." Rize tries to convince her brother.

"Psst. More like get flattened on the concrete!"

"Would you stop bitching already? Obviously, we'll be using our Grimm. So why the hell are you whining?"

"Learn to pick your fights! You're gonna bite off more than you can chew one of these days!"

"That should make the risk all the better for a thrill seeker like myself." Rize says with a smirk, causing Kazato to growl with irritation towards her risk-taking habits. Just when the odds seem to be against them more than ever, missiles suddenly fly in out of nowhere and strike the Paladin resulting a series of explosions against it's bombshell armor. "What the hell?!" Roman yells after being hit by the missiles. Soon after the missiles, Hope comes flying in with her semblance-powered mechanized suit, coming to their aid.

"Miss Valentine!" Both of the siblings shout in unison.

"Listen to me! We have to get out of the city now! Something is coming and it's huge!" The young hunter shouts out to the pair. The siblings look at each other before one of them responds. "What's coming?"

"An S-Class! An S-Class Grimm is on it's way to the city!"

"Seriously? An S-class? Coming here?" Rize raises an eyebrow underneath her crow mask.

"I thought those things were just a myth." Kazato says. Hope brings her attention towards the Paladin in front of her and begins firing rounds of bullets at the mech. "Go! I'll handle this one!" She tells the siblings before flying off. Roman uses the Paladin's left arm to shield the cockpit from the barrage of bullets. "If you wanna be the first to die so badly, then so be it!" The criminal says with anger and annoyance as the Paladin reaches and swings at the young hunter. "Are you going turn into a monster too? Like the last annoying hunter!" He says, remembering his encounter with Edward.

"Monster? Wait, did a hunter turn into a Grimm?" Kazato asks himself, no idea that Roman was referring to his uncle's tragedy, something he has yet to find out. Rize pulls on his cloak to get his attention. "They're getting away!" She points towards the direction of Emerald and Mercury running in the distance. "Come on! We may not have found our target, but we're bringing someone in dammit!" She says before chasing after them.

* * *

Raven walks through the dark hallways of an abandon building she is in. The wooden floor creaks underneath the weight of her boots as she walks down the hall. With her Chikage in hand, the former hunter passes by room after room as she searches for the young huntress that is currently hiding from her. Pyrrha quietly sits in a room that is not far down the hall.

Sitting next to the doorway, she listens to the Branwen's footsteps get closer as the creaking gets louder. The hairs on the back of Pyrrha's neck start to stand up as a chill crawls down her spine. The footsteps stops at the doorway, causing Pyrrha to tense up as fear start to take hold of her. Slowly and cautiously, she peaks around the corner of the doorway, seeing Raven standing just outside the room. She quickly ducks back behind the wall, not wanting the Branwen to see her. Her heart feels as if its trying to break free from her chest. Pyrrha's calm and collected demeanor that she normally has begins the break apart as her body start to tremble uncontrollably. _'Don't come through the door.'_ Are the only thoughts running through her mind.

"There is no point in hiding. You're just prolonging the inevitable." Raven tells Pyrrha as she looks for her. Seeing that there is still no answer nor sign of the girl, she sheathes her sword and takes off her mask. "Have it your way." With that, she begins sniffing the air around her, using her heightened sense of smell to track her prey. Upon catching Pyrrha's scent, a grin forms on Raven's lips as she puts her mask back on. Before the scarlet warrioress could guess what will happen next, Raven's red muramasa stabs through the already crumbling wall, nearly missing Pyrrha's head by an inch!

Pyrrha screams with terror as she scrambles to her feet and sprints through a door that leads into the next room. "Running isn't going to do you any good either. This game of hide and seek is getting dull." Raven's voice reaches Pyrrha's ears as she runs from room to room. Just then, she begins to smell something. Like something is...burning? The next thing she notices is the room she is in is starting to get smokey and the burning smell getting so strong to the point to where she is coughing. Pyrrha uses her right hand to cover her mouth and nose as she continues to cough. Using her left hand, she feels around through the eye stinging smoke as she looks for a way out of the room. She eventually staggers out into the hallway where there is even more smoke, but this time there is something illuminating at the other end of the hallway.

Looking over, she sees fire; flames that burn and spread through the floors and walls of the hallway. And standing in the middle of those flames is none other than Raven. _'How did she start a fire?! How is she not burning?!'_ These are the questions that run through Pyrrha's mind when she sees this. Raven starts to walk towards Pyrrha, her flames of corruption spreading with each step she takes. Pyrrha is face to face with the terror that a Vileblood can bring. Seeing a window at the end of the hallway where she is, Pyrrha runs and jumps through the window, breaking through the glass. After landing on a old light post, she drops down safely to the street below. Pyrrha falls to one knee as she coughs to clear her lungs of the smoke she inhaled. Along with that, she can feel her body starting to take it's toll from the beating she took from Raven.

Just as she is recovering, Raven suddenly appears from above with art of quickening, with her Chikage raised over her head. Pyrrha's widens her eyes with a gasp as she rolls out of the way of the attack that threatens to cut her in half. She draws out her short sword, Milo, just in time to block another attack from the Branwen, resulting in a deadlock.

"Weak. As long as fear binds your heart, any power and strength you possess will be wasted on you." Raven says to the young huntress before elbowing her in the face, knocking her off balance. Raven rushes the girl, going for the kill. She grabs Pyrrha by the breast plate she wears and tosses her up off her feet. Pyrrha curls up in mid-air as she manages to block three quick strikes from Raven's sword. Upon landing, she barely manages to dodge two thrusts from the Branwen before getting punched in the stomach, causing her to hill over. Raven immediately delivers a kick with enough force that sends Pyrrha flying through the air and slams her back against the side of an old car.

Pyrrha didn't have time to react to the pain before Raven stabs her in the shoulder, receiving a cry of agonizing pain from the scarlet haired girl. "So, is this your tragedy? Dying at my hands?" She says to the scarlet warrioress who is grimacing in pain. "The choices you make determine how you are affected in the future. Like the choice you made by coming after me." Raven's Chikage begins to glow with a scarlet red hue. "This is what happens when the weak fights the strong. Chikage, devourer."

An intense sharp pain suddenly shoots through Pyrrha's arm and spreads to the rest of her body. Her expressions light up, her voice getting trap in her throat before breaking out into bloodcurdling screams. Frequent sickening cracks can be heard as they mingle with Pyrrha's elevating screams of agony, feeling as if something is eating away at her. A smirk forms on Raven's lips as her Chikage continues to feed on it's victim. As she enjoys watching the agony and torment of the young huntress, Raven's eyes suddenly begins to glow underneath her mask. Looking at the suffering Pyrrha, visions begin to flash before her eyes. In the visions, she sees an inferno of raging flames and in the middle of it all, Pyrrha burning.

"So THAT is your tragedy." The Branwen says, pulling her blade out of Pyrrha's shoulder, ending her torment. Pyrrha's body feels extremely weak. She shivers uncontrollably as an overwhelming chill comes over her. She looks up at Raven with a weak gaze, those of someone who is inches away from death. "I've seen your fate. There is no point in me killing you. Sooner or later you will face someone who will out match you in both strength and skill. And you will become nothing but ashes." At that moment, a sudden cry of a raven is heard. Pyrrha slowly brings her attention to a raven sitting on a nearby light post. "When you hear the raven's cry..." The Branwen says as she places her Chikage back in it's sheath, regaining Pyrrha's attention. "...That's when you die."

"PYRRHA!" Suddenly yells a male voice. Coming to the rescue, Jaune heroically runs in with a swing of his sword, which Raven simply backsteps to avoid. "Pyrrha!" The knight says with wide eyes filled with shock when he looks back to see her condition. He brings his attention to the Branwen, holding his sword in front of him. "Stay away from her! I'm warning you!" Jaune says with a demanding tone mixed with bit of anxiety. Little does he know is his blue eyes starting to turn a scarlet red. Raven sees the young man trembling while holding his sword against her. With a small chuckle, Raven steps forward with the tip of Jaune's sword now an inch away from her mask covered face. Jaune tenses up, readying himself for what might happen next.

She knocks his sword out of her face with her left hand and jumps at him with a shout. "Boo!"

"AHHH!" Jaune screams as he falls to the ground due to the Branwen jumping too close to him. Raven couldn't help herself and bursts out laughing at the blond. "Oh you're won't last long!" She continues to laugh as she opens a portal with her Chikage and walks through it, disappearing from sight. Getting his breathing under control and himself together, Jaune crawls on his hands and knees franticly making his way to Pyrrha.

"Pyrrha, are you okay?!"

"Jaune? Is that...you?" Pyrrha says weakly as she vision starts to fade to black. "I feel weak...and cold. I feel so...cold." Her eyelids start to feel heavy as her voice lowers to a whimper.

"Pyrrha? Pyrrha, stay with me!" Jaune franticly shakes his teammate, fearing that if she loses consciousness she might not wake up. "What did she do to you?" He asks himself as he places Pyrrha's arm over his neck and process to help her to her feet. "Just try to stay awake. I'm getting you out of here."

* * *

Trish and Aria are currently caught in a fast pace clash with each other. Trish ducks, dodges, blocks, and deflects Aria's incoming attacks with her Blade of Mercy that is still fused together. In the midst of the altercation, Trish pulls out her Cainhurst gun, Evelyn, and aims for Aria's face. Wrapping a red string around Trish's ankle, one of Aria's fake arms pull the string to make the hunter fall back, causing her to miss her shot as the gun goes off. The daughter of Salem grips her staff of arms, bringing the bladed end down to impale the Arcana through the stomach.

Trish's Grimm begins to act on it's own with the black and red mist appearing around it's host. A black shadowy claw reaches out from the mist, grabs Aria's leg and pulls her causing her to fall as well. While on the floor, Trish has to choose which weapon to go for, her gun or her blade. Not wasting time the debate, she scrambles for her gun. With the weapon in hand, she quickly turns around and shoots Aria, who lunged at her with an arrow in her hand, in the stomach. With a cry of pain, Aria fling over the hunter as she rolls out of the way.

Aria places her hand on her stomach as she gets up from the shot. Removing her hand, she sees that it is covered with her own blood. The woman let's out a chuckle. "Well I'll be damned, that actually hurt." She snaps her fingers, queuing a Black Spinner to come to her.

 _'What is she doing?'_ Trish thinks when seeing this. Aria picks up the spider-like Grimm with both hands and holds it close to her body, as if she's a mother cradling her child. "Hey sweetie." She start to sweet talk the Grimm. "Mommy needs you to do her a favor." With that being said, the woman jabs her hand into the spider's body, causing it to screech in pain as she begins to absorb it. Trish watches with a slack-jawed expression underneath her mask, seeing a black and red mist channel from the Grimm to Aria. Aria's bullet wound begins to at a rapid rate, the quicksilver bullet being pushed out in the process.

"Damn. So she can absorb Grimm to heal herself." Trish says as she get back on her feet.

"I could've healed on my own but you little bullet was preventing me to do use." Aria told the Vileblood while using her extra arms to create a new whip/staff for her. "Now. Where were we?" The daughter of Salem cracks her whip before sending an attack. Without her Blade of Mercy to defend against the bladed whip, the only choice Trish has is to time her dodging.

Almost like a flash, Qrow appears in between Trish and the whip. Blocking the attack with his sword while his back is turned. The Branwen sends the hunter a grin. "Hey, don't hog all the fun for yourself."

"If you want a crack at her, be my guest." Trish tells the huntsman, noticing that his eyes are glowing with a scarlet hue. Qrow chuckles as he turn to confront Aria. "Well in that case, don't mind if I do. I'm feeling pretty good right now." He clinches the hilt of his sword. "Alright spider lady. Let's continue where we left off on our private dance."

Aria cracks a grin with a chuckle. "You know just how to make a girl swoon. Let's." She cracks her whip again, sending the next attack aiming for Qrow. The Branwen takes off running towards her, dodging to the right to avoid as he closes the gap. His Vileblood traits increasing his running speed. The huntsman jumps, lunging at the woman with his sword raised over his head. Aria hardens her whip into a staff just in time to block Qrow's attack as he come down. She can see the burning fire in his eyes along with smug grin on his face.

 _'Those eyes. Is he...'_ She pushes the huntsman off with enough force to send him flying back. Qrow fires a few shots with the gun built into his sword while his is in the air and then throws the sword at the woman upon landing. Aria twirls her staff, deflecting bullet after bullet that comes. She manages to block the incoming sword, causing it ricochet into the air. Qrow appears in the air with his art of quickening, catches his sword, and comes down performing a somersault with his blade.

Aria quickly dodges out of the way, avoiding the impact of the huntsman's sword that breaks the concrete floor beneath it. The two go at it again in a fast pace clash. As Trish watches the two, she begins to notice something about the Branwen. His movements are becoming more fluent and his fighting seems laid back. And through out the entire fight he keeps a smug grin on his face. "He must be feeling 'The Rush'. An affect we all feel when our traits kick in." The Arcana says to herself, knowing exactly what's going on with the Branwen. "He needs to get a grip of himself and not get careless. I may have to use my traits too if we want to get out of this alive. And if push comes to shove, I may have to use my Grimm."

Back to the bout, Aria attempts to impale the Branwen in the chest with the bladed end of her staff. Qrow evades with a spin to the left, which is Aria's to right. He casually rests his sword on his right shoulder, runs a hand through his jet black hair while maintaining his smug grin, and swings his sword with his right arm.

With barely enough time to react, Aria blocks the incoming attack with her right gauntlet, feeling the pain shoot through her arm. _'Dammit!'_ She swears in her mind. With a smirk, Qrow balls his left fist and positions his sword so that he is holding it diagonally to the right. With that, he clicks a button on the hilt of his blade, causing it's gears to turn. Qrow turns as the sword's form starts to curve, the blade slides off of Aria's gauntlet as he spins and hits her in the face with the back of his fist. The woman holds her face as she stumbles back from the impact. "What's wrong? I thought you were having fun? Cause I am."

With an irritated growl, Aria jumps up to a upper platform and manifests her bow and arrow, readying a shot. "Mock me, and it'll be your last mistake." Before she could launch the donative arrow, Raven suddenly with her art of quickening, holding her Chikage in Aria's way.

"Just what the hell do you think you're doing?" Aria gives the Branwen a look of even more irritation since she interfered.

"The materials are being moved. Our assignment here is done." Raven simply says to the woman. Qrow's eyes immediately widen when he sees his sister standing next to his enemy. "Raven?"

"You!" Trish yells with anger and fury when she sees Raven, remembering their previous encounter. "You're that bloody bitch who attacked my family's airships that night! You caused my family a lot of resources!

"Attacked?" Qrow looks at Trish with confusion. "Raven! What the hell is going on here?! You're working with them?!" Raven looks upon her twin brother, clearly seeing the look of confusion mixed with anger on his face.

"You know who the hell she is?" Trish asks the huntsman.

"Yeah, that's my family. My twin sister." Qrow responds while sending a glare to his sister.

"Twin sister? Well that explains a lot. You never told us you have a brother." Aria says to the Branwen who silently opens a portal for them to leave.

"Raven!" Qrow yells out to his sister as she and Aria walk through the portal, exiting from the scene.

* * *

Blake and Lara continue their bout against their... _abnormal_...adversary. With her Grimm, Lara handles the tentacle-like appendages that reaches out that them, pinning her strength against their's. As the hunter takes care the appendages, Blake rushes in straight for Blood. Blood takes aim with one of their triguns and fires shots at the fanus. Using her agility and cat-like reflexes, Blake hastily dodges the shots being fired at her as she closes the gap between them. She begins using her semblance consecutively, quickly moving in a zig-zag pattern with her shadows to try and throw her enemy off.

One of the appendages come straight for the fanus with the intent to crush her. Using her semblance again, she dodges the tentacle and severs it with her blade while performing an acrobatic flip in the process. A black and red mist seeps out from the severed appendage before the limb regenerates, growing back. Lara uses her semblance to create two decoys of herself, doppelgangers that rushes in to assist the younger fanus. With agility and cat-like reflexes, the decoys duck, dodge, and jump to avoid the appendages. They attack their target with perfect synchronization, attacking immediately after the other, covering any openings. Blake runs in and jumps off the shoulder of one of doppelgangers, coming towards her target from above.

The moment Blood tries to take aim with their gun, a quicksilver arrow suddenly shoots through their arm, causing them to drop the gun. Blood's arm quivers, showing signs of being in agony as the arrow burns them.

"Bullseye" Lara smirks underneath her mask, having her bowblade in it's bow form. Blake comes down with a slash, ripping their red cloak while inflicting a large gash across Blood's chest and abdomen. Without warning, Blood let's out an ear splitting beast-like screech, stunning both fanuses as they cover their ears to protect them. Jumping up to an steel beam that provides an overhead view, Blood pulls the burning arrow out of their arm. As if forcing something out, their body begins to strain with white spikes coming out as a result. The Child of Salem shoots a rain of spikes from their body, coming down at Blake who is still stunned.

"BLAKE!" Lara yells as she sprints towards her daughter, her supernatural abilities allowing her to move with inexplicable speed. She makes it to her daughter in time to get her out of harms way before the devastating rain demolishes the walkway their were on. The two fanuses made it safely to solid ground. Lara quickly checks to see if her daughter is injured, to her relief she isn't.

"LOOK OUT!" Blake suddenly yells, looking pass the hunter with terror. Before Lara could look back, she feels the razor sharp nails of a claw scratch her in the back, clawing deep into her skin. She'd let her guard down for too long. Lara let's out a bloodcurdling scream from the inflicted injury, getting knocked out of the way shortly after. Blake, filled shock and horror, backs away from the monstrous creature in front of her while she is on the floor. Blood, tentacle-like appendages swaying in the air, spikes appearing from their body, and their right hand now a claw dripping with blood, walks towards their horrified prey.

Lara grimaces from the stinging pain in her back as she tries to get up. A large chunk of her mask is shattered, revealing half of her face. She looks back, seeing that her daughter is left alone to face this monstrosity of an enemy. "Dammit..." Lara tries to get up but the stinging pain is refusing to let her do so. Her Grimm starts to stir, reacting to the mixture of emotions that is starting to swell within the fanus. She feels anger towards herself. The main reason she became a hunter was not only to take down the White Fang, but to protect Blake from what Remnant really is. To protect her from the nightmare, the living hell, that lurks underneath. She spent six years as a hunter and for what? To watch her daughter be killed in front of her eyes?

Along with that anger is fear. Fear that she might not reunite with Blake the way she wanted to. Fear that she will fail her again. A black and red mist begins to emit from her body. Her Grimm growing ever stronger with these emotions. She can feel it. She can feel it's dark presence coming upon her, much stronger than before. Blood stops in their tracks due to sensing this presence. They bring their attention to Lara, seeing that she is back on her feet, the Grimm mist around her. The fanus groans as her eyes turn black and red, black markings appearing on her face, and her teeth becoming fang-like. She feels a sudden pain coming from her lower back, where the mist looks as if it's boiling.

Lara let's out a scream of pain as two large appendages burst out of her lower back, the appendages looking centipede-like. Lara begins to chuckle, and that chuckle turns into a crazed laugh. Throwing her head into the air as she does, losing her sense of self at the moment. Blake sits there wide-eyed and slack-jawed. Speechless by what she sees. Blood, seeing that things have taken a different turn, turns to face the power crazed hunter. The fanus looks over to her adversary with a crazed look before disappearing in blur.

"Where did she...?" Blake vigorously around in shock. The hunter reappears behind her target in another blur, delivering a devastating blow with one of her centipede-like appendages, letting out a laugh as she did. Blood is sent flying across the area, flying through any obstacle that is in the way. A black skin starts to cover Lara's right arm as it becomes claw-like before she chases after her prey in a crazed frenzy.

Still wide-eyed and slack-jawed from the display she saw, Blake watches the destruction and mayhem that takes place in front of her. Seeing the two go that it in a blur. She has completely no idea of what just happen. Unable to process and register the things she just saw. In the midst of the fight, Lara is knock back, rolling and skidding on the concrete floor. By digging her claw-like hand into the concrete floor, she manages to stop herself. Before she runs back in, she looks over to see Blake staring at her with the same expression she had when the madness started. At that moment, Lara's sense of self starts to come back. The centipede-like appendages and the black skin that covers her right arm begins to faded along with her Grimm mist. Her facial appearance reverting back to normal.

Due to Lara's half broken mask, Blake catches a good look at her. Even though she could only see half of the hunter's face, she quickly realizes that she looks very similar to her. This causes her gasp. Before anything else could happen, Lara turns into a flock of crows that surrounds her daughter. Blake couldn't see a thing due to the black birds clouding her vision. She suddenly feels herself being lifted off the floor by a pair of hands and into the air as the flock carries her away from the area. After a while, the flock of crows cleared, allowing Blake to see. Looking around, she finds herself standing of a building just outside of the factory.

"Wait. How did I..." She starts to ask herself with a look of utter confusion. Seeing black feathers that fall gently from above, she looks up in time to is the flock of crows flying in the distance..

* * *

Elisa and Lucilia find themselves kneeling down on one knee. Both nearly on the brink of exhaustion. Leon stands in front of them with his hands in his pockets and a bored look on his face. The two girls struggled against the pirate through the entire fight. Each plan of attack they'd made against the fanus had utterly failed. He even provided to be more than a match for Elisa in her field of expertise, martial arts.

"This man...hes way out of our league." Lucilia says as she tries to catch her breath. Elisa nods in agreement as she too tries to catch her breath. "You're telling me. This guy is insane."

"You know..." Leon starts. "You two really disappointed me, especially you Blondie. Aren't you suppose to be one of them freakishly strong hunter? Tch, just when I though you might be a satisfying meal." He says the last part in a metaphorical sense.

Seeing that things aren't getting any better and the push is coming to a shove, Elisa knows what she has to do. "Hey Lucy." She calls out to Lucilia. "Find somewhere safe. I'm gonna use my Grimm against him. So things will get messy."

"Right. Do what you have to do." The Arcana says as she starts to back away. Just when Elisa is about to ready herself to continue the fight alone, a flock of crows suddenly gather in between the girls and the pirate. Receiving a wide eyed looks from the girls and a raised eyebrow from the fanus. When the flock finally clears, it reveals a silver haired woman wearing the hunter's black crow feathered cloak and crow mask.

"Saya!" Elisa yells when she see the hunter. Last time she saw her was when they split up to find Leon. "Where have you been?! If you came sooner, then we would've already beaten this guy!" The blond says with slight irritation from the beating she and Lucilia took from Leon. The hunter says nothing as she looks back at the blond, a chill running down Elisa's spine when she realized the tone she picked with her. _'Aw crap! I messed up!'_ The blond says in her though with a swallow.

Saya the brings her attention back to the pirate in front of her. "Leon Mustang "The Savage Beast". It's about time we tracked who down. Elisa, I'll take it from here. You and your teammate find somewhere to rest." She tells the blond.

Leon raises raises an eyebrow. "Oh? Another hunter. And a chick too. Are you gonna provide me some entertainment? Or are you gonna be a let down like those two?" He motions towards Elisa and Lucilia.

Saya looks at the fanus for a moment before answering. "You really are like the nickname they gave you. Fighting children whose skill level is far below your own."

The fanus cracks a grin. "You make it sound like I was taking them seriously." Saya doesn't respond as she let's out a calming breath and gets into a fighting stance, causing Leon to raise both eyebrows. "Oh? So she wants to skip the foreplay and get straight to the fun parts. Alright. I think this chick might be fun." The fanus says a smile while into getting his own fighting style. Elisa and Lucilia standby on the sidelines, watching with suspense. "Saya is totally gonna kick this guy's ass." Elisa says to her teammate.

Anxious to kick things into gear, Leon makes the first move. He runs at the hunter with sadistic glee, throwing a punch which Saya sidesteps to evade as he passes by her. She attempts to counter him a simply side kick which Leon turns around in time to block it. The two engage in a intense contest of skill. Trading blow after blow as they dodge, block, and parry strikes. Leon can feel his semblance taking affect. Even thought the hunter didn't have any fear for him to feed off of, she still provided a fighting will that fuels his hype. Right now, she seems more than a satisfying meal for the lion.

The two throws each other a right punch which they simultaneously catch with their left hand. Leon's sadistic grin grow to a smile. "So you hunters think you can take me in huh? Plenty tried, plenty died. No one can cage the beas-" Saya abruptly sweeps the pirate with her right foot while he is in the middle of his speech, causing him to fall. "Woohoo!" Leon's yellowish eyes lit up with glee as he catches himself with his left hand and sends a kick with his right leg.

With fluent movement, Saya ducks the kick and sweeps the fanus's arm, that is supporting him, with a spin. Leon falls on his back. In a attempt to recover and to prevent Saya from taking advantage of this, the pirate performs a move that looks as if he is break dancing. He swings he lower body around while using his hands to help him spin, causing the hunter to retreat back to avoid getting hit. Using his hands, the fanus pushes himself back on his feet. He brings his fist up, ready to continues fighting. Saya takes notice that his left fist is balled up tighter that his right, giving the speculation that he might have something in his hand. "You got this Saya! Beat his happy ass!" Elisa cheers on her martial arts teacher.

Leon rushes the hunter again, engaging in a trade of blows. The ruthless pirate catches Saya with a right hook that knocks off her crow mask. The moment she looks back, he throws dirt into her eyes with his left hand. Saya shouts as she shuts her eyes in retaliation to the dirt particles getting into them, irritating her eyes. Taking the opportunity he created, Leon jumps with a tornado kick and kicks the hunter with enough force to knock her off her feet.

"That bloody bastard!" Lucilia yells with anger, seeing what the pirate did clear as day. "You son of a bitch! That was dirty!" Elisa shouts with anger as well.

"Learn while you can. In this world, there are no rules in a fight." The fanus tells the girls.

"No rule my ass you degrading son of a bitch!" Elisa yells.

"Watch it or I'll make you eat those words."

"Come and fucking try it ass pirate!" The blond's blood is at it's boil, ready to explode.

"Elisa!" Saya yells out to the blond as she gets up on her feet. "I said I'll take it from here."

"But Saya, you're eyes!" Elisa says in protest.

Saya cracks a grin. "A hunter doesn't always need their eyesight to hunt." She says as she take a different fighting stance, her hands being open and relaxed. Leon scoffs. "What are you, some type of all-knowing sensei? Psst, whatever." Leon runs in, going for the kill this time. He comes at her with another punch, expecting for it to be an easy hit. But much to his shock, the hunter sidesteps the punch, grabs his arm so he couldn't dodge, and hits him in the face with a back handed strike. Still having a hold of his arm, she flips him to the ground, causing him to land on his back and knees him hard in the side.

The pirate let's out a shout of pain before rolling out of the way, avoiding a stomp from the hunter. "Whoa..." Elisa gawks with awe and amazement. "How..."

"Isn't it obvious? Shes relying on her other senses to help her fight." Lucilia tells the blond. "I never expected to see this from a hunter. Pretty impressive."

"Y-Yeah. I knew that." Elisa pretends that she knew what is going on.

"Sure you did." The Arcana rolls her eyes. Leon now finds himself suddenly struggling with hunter. Everything he does is either blocked or countered _'What the hell is going here?! Why can't I hit this bitch?!'_ Leon exclaims in his mind as he tries and fails to land a hit on Saya. The pirate goes for a side kick which Saya blocks and kicks him in the crotch. The fanus screams in pain as he stumbles back holding himself. The hunter begins delivering a series of punches in rapid succession. Hitting face, chest, and torso as she pushes the fanus into a wall. With rage, the pirate comes off the wall immediately with another punch, but the hunter catches the punch, pins him hard against the wall and continues punching him. Leon's blood start to fly as the beating continues. The pirate manages to get away from the hunter.

The fact that he is beaten and battered filled him with rage, but he knows that with the ways things are, he can't win this fight. With that, he makes run for it. "Hey! Get your ass back here!" Elisa yells, about to chase after the pirate. "Let him go Elisa." Saya stops the blond, now trying to clean the dirt from her eyes.

"What? Why? Isn't he the reason why we're out here?" Elisa gives her a look.

"He is, but it's best that we leave the city. Something is coming. Something big."

* * *

Kazato and Rize runs out into another outside area of the Hashima factory, losing sight of Emerald and Mercury. "Shit, we lost them." Rize growls, scanning the area from atop a metal storage container they are now. Kazato looks down below, seeing the chaos that is taking place. A war between Atlas tech and the creatures of Grimm rages throughout the area as the factory becomes overrun with the black beasts. Smoke starts to cover the area due to the flames caused by the war

"I think losing them is the least of our problems." Just then, they hear someone shout. "Try to get it from behind!"

"Who was that?" Rize asks as they look around. They then bring their attention down below, seeing a pair of people circling around a raging monstrous Grimm. Getting a second look that the pair, the siblings realizes that it is two of there friends. Weiss and Yang."

"Princess and Tank? What the hell are they doing here?!" Kazato asks the question that neither he nor his sister know the answer to. The siblings then takes a looks at the Grimm that they are fighting. The beast stands at a height close to 20 feet tall, standing on it's muscle toned hind legs. Like any other Grimm, it has black fur that covers it's body. It's face looks as if its wearing the skull of a bull, it's glowing red eyes shining through the eye sockets. Spikes run from the center of it's back all the way down to the end of it's tail. Both of it's forearms look bear, stripped of fur and flesh, reveal nothing but the bone. It's body looks as if it is slowly decaying due to the right side of it's rib cage being exposed.

The sear appearance of this nightmarish creature causes both of the siblings to widen their eyes with utter shock. "Shit! Is that a freaking Wendigo! Where the hell did that thing come from?!" Rize exclaims upon seeing the creature.

"Those things don't usual come out unless- Wait, why the hell are we just standing here?! Let's go!" Kazato orders before the two proceed to jump into the fray. The two members of Team RWBY sprints in a circle around the Wendigo as it relentlessly tries and fail to crush them with it's massive rotten looking claws. The stench of rotting flesh coming from the creature hits the girls stomachs like a fright train with it's revolting odor. The Wendigo attempts to reach out for Weiss with one of it's massive claws.

Before it could grab the heiress, Rize intervenes with a red flash, slashing the Grimm's claws away with her Chikage as she makes her entrance. The young Vileblood faces off against the revolting creature as it gives a out fearsome roar of anger. "W-Who are you?" Are the first words that come out of Weiss mouth when she this mysterious newcomer dressed in a crow feathered cloak and crow mask. Rize is about to answer the Schnee but catches herself. Remembering that Team KREL is suppose to keep everything about themselves hidden. Given that she is dressed up like a crow and is in a place like this, her identity being revealed will definitely ruin things. And the possibility of her voice doing just that is high. Very high.

The girls attention is brought back to the monstrous Wendigo by it's fearsome, deafening roar. As it approaches the girls, it is suddenly hit in the back by a few explosive shots fired from Yang's gauntlets. In retaliation, the monstrous Grimm swipes it's spiked tail with the intention to send the brawler flying. Seeing the tail coming, Yang's eyes turn from lilac color to scarlet red as she readies herself for the impact. When the tail is just about to make contact with her, she sees a person, dressed like a crow, sprint in and catches hold of the beast's tail. Stopping it with their bear hand.

"What the...?" Yang blinks with surprise upon seeing this. Kazato, using his Grimm, keep a firm hold on the Wendigo's tail as he keeps it in place. He knows that using his supernatural abilities in front of Weiss and Yang will create a lot of questions and confusion. But as long as his identity is concealed, both he and Rize won't have to worry about giving confusing answers that will just cause more questions. Rize dashes in with her Chikage while the Grimm is detracted. Cutting both of it's legs deep enough to force it to fall to it's knees.

"Throw it!" Rize yells out to her brother. Doing just that, Kazato pulls on it's tail swinging it around with his supernatural strength, gaining looks of shock and surprise from both Weiss and Yang. He let's go of it's tail, sending the beast flying into the staked metal storage containers. Receiving a shriek of pain from the Grimm as a result. Yang sits there slack-jawed, speechless from what she had just witnessed. _'Who is this? And how did they do that?'_ All these different questions, as well as confusion, immediately begins to flood the brawler's mind.

The Grimm suddenly lunges out at the two the moment it recovers. On instinct, Kazato pushes Yang out of harms way before the Wendigo's massive claw grabs him with a swoop. Kazato struggles in the monster's grip, feeling it's grip tighten around his body. The Wendigo brings the young Vileblood up to it's horrid looking face and let's out a furious roar. The overwhelming stench of rotten flesh from it's breath making Kazato gag uncontrollably under his mask, nearly on the verge of vomiting.

"KAZATO!" Rize shouts out her brother's name in frantic panic as she sprints to save him.

"Kazato?" Weiss says to herself after hearing the name.

Hearing the girl rushing toward them, the Grimm sweeps it's tail causing Rize to jump back to avoid getting flung. The Grimm raises it's arm, lifting Kazato high into the air. "Shit, this is gonna hurt!" Kazato braces himself as his Grimm mist appears around him. The Wendigo slams the young man on the concrete floor with all of it's might. Thankfully, Kazato's Grimm protected him from certain death from the impact, but still didn't do anything about the extreme amount of pain inflicted afterwards.

Kazato's screams of agony fill the air, making Rize's heart wrench as the beast throws him into a nearby stake of wooden crates. Immediately, Rize sprints off, going to her brother's aid. Before she could get to him, the Wendigo jumps in front of her, blocking her path. "OUT OF MY WAY YOU ROTTEN SMELLING PIECE OF SHIT!" Rize shouts with venomous rage, her Vileblood side stirring with her anger along with her Grimm. Looking over, she see that Yang is closest to where Kazato is. "Yang!" She immediately calls out to the brawler. "Go check on him! Please!" Rize begs the brawler before dodging a crushing blow from the Grimm.

"Wait? How do they know my name?" Yang asks herself. She shakes it off and runs to the aid of the mysterious person that saved her moments before. "Hey, are you still alive?" She asks as she moves the wood debris off of them. After seeing what had happen to them made she doubt that they survived.

"That rotten son of a..." Kazato groans in pain as he sits up. He removes his hood and takes off his crow mark that is now cracked with a few pieces broken off. Doing so cause his face to be exposed, revealing his identity. Yang lets out a gasp of shock when she sees this. "Kazato?"

"Huh?" Kazato looks over only to see Yang staring at him with shock and confused look. _'Shit!'_

"W-What heck is going on?! Why are you dressed like that?! How did you throw that Grimm?! How the heck did you survive that?!" An onslaught of questions begin pouring out of Yang mouth one after another as more start to conjure in her mind. All Kazato could do is swear at himself as the questions keep coming. The sound of the Wendigo's deafening roar immediately brings the two back to reality, seeing Rize and Weiss bout with the Grimm.

"Rize!" Kazato yells out his sister's name as he tries to get up, wincing a in pain.

"Hey careful! Take it easy!" Yang catches her friend to keep him from falling back and possibly hurting himself even more. The brawler sits him down by a wooden crate that isn't broken, leaning his back against it. "Yang..." Kazato says as he grimaces from the throbbing pain he is feeling all over his body. In his mind, he curses his Grimm for not sparing him from the pain. Even though it could've been worse. Maybe this is his Grimm's way of telling him that his supernatural abilities doesn't make him invincible. "I have to get back out there. Rize might need me."

"No you're not." Yang stops him. "Can't you see that you're hurt? Sit this one out, we'll take care of this."

"What type of brother and team leader would I be, if I just sit here and watch my family fight that thing by herself?"

"Shes not gonna be alone. She has me and Weiss for backup, so stop arguing with me and take it easy." Yang demands the stubborn boy as she stands up.

"Wait a minute Tank, you don't know what this thing is-" Kazato speech is cut off by the throbbing pain again. _'Damn! Why won't it just hurry up and go away already?!'_ Yang cracks her knuckles as she turns to head back into the fray. "What I do know is that we're gonna kill this thing. Then we're gonna find Ruby, Blake, and two other people. And when we get back to Beacon, you guys have a lot of explaining to do." With that being said, the brawler runs off into the fray. Kazato chuckles to himself. "Listen to her, talking as if she knows exactly how things are gonna go." He reach into his cloak and pulls out a blood vile which is, thankfully, not broken. His onyx colored eyes start to glow with a burning scarlet red, feeling his Vileblood side starting to stir as he looks at the small bottle of blood before pulling the cork off. "Sorry Yang. But I'm not sitting is out."

* * *

The intense heated altercation between Scarlet and Adam is now in it's final moments. The two had taken their fight on top of a large bridge-like platform that stretches high above the factory, stretching among it's many towers that overlooks the ruined city. Adam continues on with the intense fast-pace clash between him and the pure-blood. Even with his Grimm, he is still showing to have a bit of trouble against the woman.

 _'What the is going on?! I've linked with my Grimm and it's still isn't enough?! I can barely graze her!'_ Adam thinks with frustration as he tries to land an attack on the hunter. Lifting up on his relentless onslaught, Adam jumps back to create some distance between the two. He slides his Chikage in it's sheath as he cuts his thumb again. "My sword..." He calls out to his blade, his red katana consuming the blood that he has offered. The fanus shakes his head, a light headed feeling coming over him. This is the second time he used the rite of his Chikage.

He draws out his blade in one swift motion, causing a trail of blood to fling out that shortly turns into a wave of fire. As a reaction, Scarlet simply jumps to avoid the wave of fire. Now that he caused her to jump as planned, Adam feels his blood start to boil as his left hand becomes engulfed in flames. He swipes his hand back and forth, creating three fireballs that hurls towards their target. Without much effort, Scarlet cuts through all three fireballs causing them to scatter. Adam throws his left hand back as he balls up his fist, causing the scattered fireballs to come back and surround the hunter.

"Oh?" The Vileblood raises an eyebrow of surprise upon seeing this. She uses her sword to deflect the incoming fireballs but ends up getting trapped in a fireball-like prison created by the smaller fireballs that hitting her from all directions, attempting to incinerate her. Shorty after the fiery prison is formed, two red slashes bursts out of ball of fire and rushes down towards the fanus. Adam clinches his teeth as he jumps back twice to evade the slashes as they cut through the bridge-like platform. Scarlet lands on the small portion of the platform that is cut, giving a smile and a wink as it begins to slide down off the platform before it falls.

Without warning, Scarlet cuts her way through the bottom of the platform in front of Adam, catching him completely by surprise. The queen comes at the fanus aggressively, taking on a stronger offense. Not going to allow himself to be thrown around again, Adam pushes back against the woman with his own attacks. Which, as always, she deflects is ease. They both collide swords, resulting a deadlock. This is soon short lived when Scarlet flings him off with her sword, sending him flying. Adam hits the platform, rolling and skidding before recovering himself, sliding back on his feet.

He looks up just in time to see the hunter coming down from above with her sword raised up. She is not letting up. The fanus holds his sword up with both hands, bracing himself as the impact of the collision sends a shock of pain through his arms. He looks up to his opponent, seeing that she still has the same amused smile on her face. Once again, this irritated him, feeling as if she is toying with him.

 _'Enough of this!'_ Adam shouts furiously in his mind, wanting this fight to end with holding Scarlet's head in his hands as the ending verdict. With that, the fanus's red hair starts to glow along with his Chikage, causing Scarlet to raise another eyebrow. The fanus pushes the woman off of him and slides his blade back in it's sheath without cutting his thumb this time. He concentrates his aura into his blade as he prepares his semblance.

"Hm? What's that you're doing there?" Scarlet asks with curiosity clearly in her voice. _'Going by the stance he has taken, it looks like one of my Zantesuken or Renzokuken techniques. But something about it seems different.'_ She then let's out a sigh. _'As much as I like to see what ace he has up his sleeve, I'm afraid it's time to end this dance.'_ She looks up to the scattered moon in the night sky before sliding her red muramasa blade back it's sheath, keeping her hand of it's handle. "Looks like the night just keeps getting longer. That...isn't good." She looks back towards Adam with a smile before sprinting off towards him.

With his semblance now ready, Adam waits for the right time to strike. He tightens his grip on the hilt of his sword as Scarlet quickly approaches, ready to deliver an swift attack that will hopefully bring this woman down for good. Seeing the perfect moment to strike, Adam pulls the trigger on the hilt of his katana. Creating a small ignition boost that helps him draw out the blade far quicker than he could on his own. The moment he releases his Moonslash, he realizes that he hit nothing but air, empty space.

"Too slow Adam." Comes Scarlet's voice from behind. He looks back over his shoulder, expressions filled with shock and disbelief. "Wha...H-How-" Before he could finish his speech, he suddenly screams in pain due to multiple sudden cuts appearing on his body along with rips and tears on his clothing. Due to the excessive damage he received, he drops his blade and collapses onto the platform, wounds bleeding as he grimaces in pain.

"I'm afraid this marks the end of our deadly dance. I enjoyed it while it lasted." Scarlet says as she sheaths her Chikage and strolls around the collapsed Adam. "You're pretty quick, in fact, you're pretty good all-around. But you still has a lot you to learn. I bet you're wondering how I was beat you despite you using your Grimm against me? Well, allow me to give you some advice. Your Grimm grows with your strength. Using your Grimm does give you a significant boost in performs and provides other benefits. But it's only as strong as it's host. Me, I've been fighting much much longer than you. So naturally I would have more experience than you. But I won't lie though, my semblance did play a part in this. Well, considering that I semblance isn't something I actually do, and it's just there whether I want it to or not. So in a way, I fought you normally. Though I think that's fair instead of me using my Grimm."

"So you were...toying with...me..." Adam manages to gets his words out despite the pain he is in.

"Well it wouldn't be much of a fight if I-" Out at the corner of her eyes, Scarlet sees a red flash rapidly coming towards her. With quick reflexes and reaction time, she jumps back just in time to avoid a giant red slash that cuts through the platform, with the portion of the platform in front of her collapsing to the factory below. "That flash" Scarlet says to herself, recognizing the red slash. "That was a Zantetsuken." Just then, she hears a giant flap from above followed by black feathers falling gently.

"I was wondering when she'll make her appearance." Scarlet cracks a grin as she looks up. In the air above she sees her former student, Raven, staying suspended in the air with a giant black wing coming from the back of her right shoulder blade. She holds her Chikage in her right hand and holds a barely conscious Adam underneath her left arm.

"Ra...ven..." Adam manages to utter out before becoming unconscious.

The former master and student gaze upon one another, not uttering a single word to each other. Its as if they're body language is doing the talking for them. Scarlet then receives a message on her scroll. Checking it, she sees that it is from Saya. "An S-Class Grimm huh? Just when things were starting to get fun around here." She chuckles before sheathing her own Chikage.

Seeing this, the Branwen takes it as a sign that Scarlet isn't going to try and stop her from taking Adam. With a flap of her raven-like wing, she flies off.

* * *

Elsewhere on the factory grounds, Ruby is currently engaging a group of Grimm that blocks her path. Using her Crescent Rose with her incredible speed, she dispatches Grimm after Grimm as a red blur. She severs the leg of a Beringel, a gorilla-like Grimm, as she zips by in a blur of roses. She turns back around, pulling the trigger on her Crescent Rose as she takes off again, speeding in for the kill. The downed Beringel looks up to see the silver-eyed girl bolting towards it with the intent to slice it in half. The Grimm holds up it's hand as a reaction, seeming like a faulty attempt to protect itself from Ruby's scythe. The moment Ruby raises her scythe to end the Grimm's life, an image suddenly flashes before her eyes. In the image, she saw a person sitting in the Beringel's place with their hand up, looking as if they are begging for their life.

 _'Huh? What...was that?'_ Ruby blinks, breaking her focus on the Grimm. Upon seeing that her focus is broken, the Beringel hits her with a swift back hand, smacking her into a wooden crate. Ruby tries to sit up on the cold concrete floor, grimacing from the pain she feels in her back after colliding with the wooden crate. Going to seize this opportunity, the multiple Grimm that surrounds the young huntress lunges at her with deadly intentions to devour the girl.

Ruby's eyes widen while she let's out a terrified gasp. She sees her Crescent Rose lying on the ground, but the distance is too far for her to reach it in time. The young girl can feel her heart pounding in her chest as everything seems to move in slow motion. At that paralyzing moment, her silver eyes begins to glow with a luminous moonlight. Immediately afterwards, a blinding ruby light suddenly engulfs the entire area follow by the roars of agony from the Grimm. The blinding light fades as soon as it appeared. As her eyes readjusts from the light, returning her eyesight, Ruby looks around realizing that the Grimm that surrounded her are nowhere in sight. "Where...did that light come from?" She asks herself as she crawls to retrieve her scythe.

She uses her scythe to help herself to her feet. For some reason, her feels as if a large portion of her strength have been sapped from her body. Could it have something to do with that strange light moments before? Just then, Ruby hears a faint clinging sound in the distance. The clinging sound starts to turn into footsteps as they get closer and closer. Hades, the ruthless son of Salem, appears out of the shadows and proceeds to approach her.

"Who is-" Ruby suddenly feels a sharp headache that causes her to fall to her knees. Visions begins to flash before her eyes again, visions from her nightmare. "I...I remember him." She says to herself. "I saw him in my dream." She looks up at the mysterious armored man walking towards her, her body paralyzed with fear.

"That light..." Hades says to himself as he continues to walk towards the paralyzed girl. "There is no mistaking it. That was the gaze of the Moon. Of the Moon Presence." He approaches the silver-eyed girl, his huge size towering over her. Hades can smell the moon scent on the girl, a scent that brings back memories that make his teeth clinch. Without warning, he grabs Ruby by the throat with his right hand, holding the small girl in the air. Rudy's eyes widen, both hands griping the mysterious man's arm. Kicking man as she tries to get free.

"Not only do you smell like, but you look just. Like. HER!" Hades's murderous rage makes itself known through his voice, his grip around the young girl's throat starting to tighten. Ruby's eyes are now bulging out, as if their getting ready to pop out of her head. Her eyes become overflowed with tears as she struggles even more, her kicking becoming harder and wilder. She tries her best to scream out for help but isn't able to get any air into her lungs to make a whisper. The more Hades looks at Ruby's face, the more he sees Summer. He places both hand around Ruby's throat, intensifying his grip.

"Killing you here will spar us the nuance in the future. Besides, we already have three Nightmares. We have no use for a fourth." Ruby's neck feels like it's going to snap under Hades's monstrous grip at any given moment. Just then, her eyes begin to glow with the same moonlight glow as before. "What?!" Hades takes note of this as the moonlight glow from Ruby's eyes begin to grow brighter. As soon as this starts, a flash of light sends Hades sliding back, hit by an unseen force.

Hades grunts in pain while sliding back, feeling the impact of the force that hit him. Ruby, after being dropped from Hades's grip, coughs and gasps for air while on her hands and knees. She has no idea what just happened. "That damn brat!" Hades growls with rage. "Shes gonna be a problem if I don't take care of her now!"

Ruby looks up that the masked man while still trying to recover herself. _'Who is this guy? And why is he trying to kill me?'_ Just then, a flock of numerous crows begin to gather in front of the silver-eyed girl, receiving a look of surprise from her. When the flock clears, she sees two people, wearing crow feathered clocks and crow masks, standing in front of her. One wields a scythe, resting it on their right shoulder and the other wields a red muramasa blade in their right hand. "Who...are they?" Ruby asks herself. Little does she know that it's Kazato and Rize.

"RUBY!" Two female voices call out to the girl. Ruby then finds herself sandwiched between both Weiss and her sister in a tight group hug. "You're alive! Thank god you're alive!" Yang squeezes her sister the tightest, tears forming in her eyes.

"Guys...you're...hurting me." Ruby struggles out, the breath her regained being squeezed out again.

"Guys. I don't mean to crash your reunion. But we have a problem here." Rize says to the huddled up girls. Weiss and Yang let go of Ruby as they stand beside the siblings, readying to confront this new foe. "That voice..." Ruby says to herself, recognizing female voice. "Rize? Is that you?"

"You're not looking so hot there Rose Petal." Rize looks back to the silver-eyed girl, grinning underneath her mask. Hades notices the attire the Cainhurst siblings are wearing. "I wonder how long the hunters will keep sending their own to their demise." He says aloud for the group to hear. "You're just like cockroaches. No matter how many I squash, more just keep showing up. No matter. Sooner or later, you hunters will see that this world is fated to burn." With that being said, he begins walking towards the five kids.

"Get ready guys! Here he comes!" Kazato shouts as he and the three girls ready themselves. Just then, the unexpected happens. Kazato, Rize, and Yang simultaneously begin to feel an overwhelming pulsating feeling in the pit of their stomachs that causes them to fall to their knees. Their Grimm senses the grave danger that they are getting themselves into, and it wants them to flee. Now.

"Gah! What's...happening to me?!" Yang hills over as she clinches her sides.

"Dammit! Why the hell are you acting up?!" Kazato grimaces from the overwhelming feeling, shouting at his Grimm. Both Ruby and Weiss look at the three with looks of utter confusion. "Guys, what's wrong?!" Ruby frantically asks the three, not knowing what to do.

"Touch them..." Suddenly comes Summer's voice, causing Ruby to immediately look around. "Lay your hand on them Ruby. It'll calm them they're spirits." Summer's voice instructs her again. This is the second time Ruby has heard her mother's voice. Is it actually happening or is her mind really playing tricks on her? She doesn't know what to think, but something tells her to listen to the voice.

Weiss stands in front of the group, taking her fighting stance as she stands against the mysterious armored man. Seeing the Schnee standing against him, Hades let's out a chuckles. "A Schnee. What? You've gotten bored of playing with your magical dust? If the Executioners are deciding to meddle their way into things, then they must be shorthanded. Sending their own youth to their demise."

"Executioners?" Weiss says with a confused look while maintaining her stance. Behind the scene, Ruby crawls over to her sister who is still hilled over from the pulsating sensation in her gut. She reaches out her hand, placing it on her sister's back. At the moment, Yang begins to feel the pulsating feeling starting to fade away as a sense of calm and relief comes over her. The brawler pants slightly as sweat rolls down her face. Ruby is astonished by what had just happened. With that, she proceeds to do the same for Kazato and Rize, bringing calm and relief to them as well.

 _'How am I doing this?'_ She asks herself, watching the three get back on their feet. "Are you...guys okay?"

"I...don't know? What the heck just happened?" Yang asks to no one in particular, wondering what caused that strange overwhelming sensation. The Cainhurst siblings, knowing exactly what was the cause of the pulsating sensation, says nothing as they prepare themselves for the approaching enemy. Before Hades could get any closer to the kids, another flock of crows gather in front of them. Hades stops in his place, knowing exactly what this means. Another hunter has entered the fray. Sure enough, when the flock clears, it reveals Scarlet standing in front of the group of kids.

"Mom?" Rize calls out to the Vileblood standing in front of them. "You're here too?"

"Wait? That's your guys mom?" Yang asks the siblings. Scarlet looks back at her two children, smiling underneath her mask. "Hey now. No one told me that my babies will be here." She smile then begins to fade when she quickly realizes that one of her children is missing. "Kazato? Rize? Where is your sister?"

"Our team split up. Elisa is with a teammate." Rize tells her mother.

"Scarlet Cainhurt. One of the Vileblood queens." Hades says the woman's name, gaining her attention.

"Oh? Well that's a familiar face. If I can recall, you call yourself Hades, right? Hey, do you mind leaving us in peace? There are some things I need to catch up on with my babies."

"I'll gladly do that after they join you in the afterlife."

Scarlet let's out a laugh. "That's the funniest joke I've heard all night. You couldn't kill me even if you tired, you should already know that. Also..." She continues while pointing her Chikage at the man. "Have you ever wondered what it feels like to be eaten away from the inside out by a Chikage? I'll be more than happy to show you if you dare to even lay a finger on my babies." Scarlet threatens the man in a mild-mannered tone, causing Hades to chuckle as a response.

Just when a fight look likes it's about to break out, an explosion erupts from nearby. Soon after, Hope comes flying in with her semblance-powered suit with Roman right behind her with the giant Paladin. "Ms. Valentine!" Both Kazato and Rize shouts when they see the young hunter.

"Wait? Ms. Valentine is here too? Can someone please tell me what the heck is going on here?!" The heiress is now sick of the random surprises that keep coming out of the woodworks and answers. Roman catches Hope with a punch from the Paladin, sending her flying through the air. Using the suits thrusters, she stops herself and recovers. "Tough luck for you Roman. I know the codes and weak spots of the Paladin." She says with a smirk before flying back in.

"Oh? So you want some more huh?" Roman shouts as he throws another punch. "Seize its control system!" Hope commands her suit as it flies in and strikes the Paladin's upper arm causing an explosion. The monitor screens in the Paladin's cockpit starts flashing red with alert notifications of the severe damage the Paladin took. Roman looks at that screen seeing the left arm of the Paladin flash red. "Damn it! She took out the left arm!" Looking back at the main monitor screen, he sees something that he doesn't believe.

Hope hovers in front of the Paladin, using her semblance to create a yellow circle that allows her to control the Paladin's separated arm as it levitates next to her suit. "Infiltrating enemy sub-unit. Behavior table adjusted. Balanced controls complete." The suit's systems notifies it's pilot that the arm is ready for use. "Looks like I'm good to go." The young hunter says with a grin.

"Whoa..." Ruby says with a look of astonishment along with the other kids.

"No! No! SHIT!" Roman braces himself for the impact to come. Hope hits the Paladin with it's own arm, knocking it against the structure of the factory. The Paladin takes even more excessive damage as the young hunter continues the beating. Roman pulls a lever at ejects him from the cockpit and into the air, deploying his parachute shortly afterwards. Dropping the arm, Hope flying straight for the criminal since he is now a sitting duck. Before she could get to him, a black and red portal suddenly appears and engulfs the criminal, a look of shock showing on his face before it does. Shortly Afterwards, Hope is suddenly hit by an red flash, her suit's left leg being cut off in the process.

"WHAT?!" Hope shouts as she rapids plummets from the sky. Acting quickly, she frees herself from her damaged suit and turns into a flock of crows to save herself. The suit slams into a nearby area followed by the heart stopping sound of an explosion. "MS. VALENTINE!" The students screams with terror and panic.

"Don't worry. She's fine." Scarlet tells the group in her usual calm demeanor, not showing fear or panic like the rest. This receive her a few strange looks. But sure enough, Hope drops in safely from her flock of crows at gather from above. "Man. That was a close one." Hope let's out a breath of relief.

"Hope" Scarlet calls to the young hunter. "I need you to get them out of here. ASAP. You know what is coming our way, right?" Hope gives a nod in response.

"Wait, what's going our-" Before Kazato could ask the question. A loud otherworldly screech can be heard, sounding as if it is echoing from the night skies. "Scarlet! It's here!" Hope says with a bit of panic in her voice.

"I know, just try and stay calm." Scarlet tells the young hunter. _'This certainly isn't good. Things are about to turn ugly.'_ Shortly after that thought, a gigantic shadow is cast from above, a shadow that seems large enough to cover the entire city. Looking up towards the sky, everyone see the silhouette of a gigantic creature eclipsing the moon, blocking it's light as the creature passes in front of it. The creature flaps it's pair of massive wings while it's body moves in a somewhat slithering motion, with a wing span that seems large enough to create whirlwinds. The gigantic creature makes it's way downward and lands on the very top of the factory, the old facility being able to hold it's massive weight. Now that it's not blocking the moon's light, everyone can see the creature's appearance. The creature looks like a hybrid between a bird and a serpent. It's scales, skin, and feathers are black like the Grimm's, with a hint of red. The creature looks upon the ruined city with it's massive glowing red eyes before giving another otherworldly screech.

"Mom... What...is that thing?" Rize asks her mother with a wide-eyed and slack-jawed expression along with everyone else.

"That my child. Is what we hunters call an S-Class Grimm. That...is a Quetzalcoatl." Scarlet answers her daughter.

"That's supposed to be a Grimm?! That things like half-bird, half-snake, half-storm, and half-airship!" Kazato exclaims about the sear size and appearance of the gigantic Grimm.

"What's the matter?" Hades speaks out, regaining the group's attention. "Don't tell me that a single Grimm has you hunter's shaking in your boots. That Grimm should be the least of your worries, because I am worst." Just then, a flock of ravens begin to gather and swirl around Hades. Knowing exactly what this is, Hades becomes furious as he squats at the birds. "Dammit One-Winged Raven! Don't interfere!" He shouts furiously, disappearing along with the flock.

 _'Hes been removed from the field. That's good.'_ "Hope, get them out while you still can." Scarlet tell the young hunter as she brings her attention back to the Quetzalcoatl. Giving a nod, Hope proceeds to escort the kids to safety. "This way everyone!"

"Mom, you sure you'll be alright on your own?" Rize asks the Vileblood. With a child-like smile underneath her mask, Scarlet turns to face her young look alike of a daughter and places a hand on her head, ruffling her hair. "Don't worry about me. Your mother isn't dying anytime soon. Now scram. And please find your little sister."

* * *

 **AN: Thanks for reading everyone. I apologize again for this chapter being this long but I wanted to ended this event so the story can move on in the next chapter.**

 **As for Raven's semblance, I strongly believe that her semblance is involved with death. Since Qrow's semblance, being bad luck and ill-omen, is clearly based on the superstition of crows. Based on the superstition of ravens, I believe Raven's semblance allows her to see death and tragedy. To back up is theory, remember in Vol.4 chapter 4: Family, Raven said that she warned Qrow that Beacon will fall and Ozpin will die? Somehow she must've foreseen the destruction of Beacon and the death of Ozpin. After I thought of this, I've checked to see if there were any threads making theories about her semblance. There wasn't anyone talking about it that the time.**

 **So I shared my theory in a comment on a Youtube video that involved Raven. A few months later, I start to see threads talking about her what her semblance could be. Though people think that her semblance allows her is see prophecies since shes supposedly based off of a character from a folklore or mythology. Prophecies can go both ways, good or bad. But with the strong possibility that her semblance could be the same as Qrow's, due to superstition. I say it involves with the coming of death rather than prophecy.**

 **I've put a creative spin on how to use this. Remember when Raven told Pyrrha "I wonder what tragedies those aspects will bring you?" and "The choices you make will affect you in the future."? Basically, Raven's semblance allowed her to see Pyrrha's death based on how she is. Personality, habits, reasons of existence, beliefs, appearance, etc. ...Or to give a dark example, Raven looks at Qrow and sees that he'll die from alcohol poisoning because he is a drinker. Because of who he is.**

 **Anyway, thanks again for reading. If you have any thoughts on this, please leave a comment. It doesn't have to be a meaningful paragraph. I'm already working on chapter 16 and it'll be up and posted on Monday or sometime next week. This is Chronicles calling this chapter a wrap.**


	16. Lore

**AN: "Our sins. They follow us no matter where we go or what we do. Needless to say, we can't escape our past."**

 **Hey! Hey! It's story time! Hey guys, its your boy Chronicles here and today I'm back with an interesting chapter. I tried to get this updated earlier but I got tied up in helping my mom move. Also while I'm at it, I want to inform you guys that I am now officially a U.S soldier of the United States Army. I will be shipping out for basic training on the 27** **th** **of this mouth and I'll will be gone for two months.**

 **Some of you might be thinking that since I'm in the military now, this fic might get neglected and will added to the pile of dead fics on this site. I assure you that will not happen. I'm one of those people who intend to finish what they've started. And I will see this story and it's sequel to it's conclusion. Even though boot camp won't allow you to use any electronics, they will allow you to keep a notebook and pen/pencil. After basic training, I will go to AIT to training for my job for 13 weeks. In AIT, they will allow you to use electronics meaning that I can resume posting. By that time, I will have a good handful of chapters hand written and ready to type.**

 **Anyway, this chapter contains some lore I've been wanting to share with you guys. Also a** ** _certain_** **character that we all know will make a surprising appears. And lastly, I'm finally introducing my villain that I've being hard working on. Every good story has to have a good antagonist. I would love to hear your first impressions on the character. Anyway guys, please enjoy.**

* * *

"So...you're saying everyone has a Grimm inside them. And Cursed Hunters are people who gained supernatural powers from them. Like you guys?" Ruby goes over what she was told back to Team KREL. The members of Team KREL have revealed to Team RWBY of their affiliation with The Black Winged Brotherhood and informed them of the legend about the Grimm within man. Now safely back at Beacon, the two teams assemble in the school's library which is practically empty at this hour. Of course, night still lingers over the Kingdom of Vale due to the strange phenomenon regarding the nights becoming longer with each passing day.

"All of us except Lucilia. Shes not a Cursed Hunter." Kazato, sitting on the edge of the long table the teams are occupying, responds to Ruby's question. Lucilia sits in one of the chairs, using them exactly what they are made for, at the table with her arms and legs crossed. "Kazato, get your butt off the table. What do you think the chairs are for?"

Giving a small grumble under his breath, the young man hops off the table. "Alright, fine. Both you and Claire can sometimes be a pain in the ass." He mutters his comment as he grabs a chair and sits in it backwards, resting his arms on the back of the chair. Lucilia gives a silent sigh before speaking. "Back to what Kazato said earlier, it's true. I'm not a Cursed Hunter, so I'm not gifted with the _benefits_ that the Grimm grants them. But that doesn't mean that I'm in the clear. I do have a Grimm inside me as well."

"Okay..." Yang scratches her head while standing between Ruby and Weiss, who are sitting down, trying to comprehend with what she was told. "So basically, we'll turn into a Grimm at any moment, right?"

"No. Its not like a ticking timebomb if that is how you see it." Rize, who is leaning her back on a bookshelf with her arms and legs crossed, assures the brawler. "The Grimm inside us is no different from the Grimm we fight out in the world. Just like how the Grimm are drawn to negative emotions. The Grimm within feeds off of negative emotions. Growing stronger and stronger until it can take control of it's host's mind and body, thus becoming a Grimm. By the way, you guys said that you came across a group of fanuses eating each other, right?" She asks Ruby, Weiss, and Yang. Receiving a confirming nod from them.

All four members of Team KREL simultaneously exchange looks with each other. "Wendigoes"

"Wendi-what?" Weiss says with a raised eyebrow.

"You said that they had a carving for humans and their own kind, right? More than likely their Grimm was turning them into Wendigoes." Elisa, also seated at the table, tells the heiress. With this new information scrambling in her head with what she has already learned, Ruby's silver gaze slowly shifts down to the dark brown wood table in front of her. Her memories of the tragic events that had occurred coming back to her while she looks fixedly at her pale white hands, wondering if she could've done for the fanuses the same she did for her sister and friends.

"Thats probably why that Wendigo was there." Kazato mentions the monstrous Grimm they faced earlier.

"Wait? You mean that giant Grimm that smelled like rotten meat?" Yang asks the young Vileblood who gives a nod in response. "Those things make a rare appearance. They don't usually show up unless cannibalism is involved. And when it does show up, it's bad news. Of course, some of us have already experienced that." Both Weiss and Yang feel a small shiver crawl down their spine, remembering the encounter with the Grimm.

Blake is seated at the table as well, but sits a few chairs away from everyone. With her left elbow on the table, she rests her head in the palm of her left hand while looking down at the glass of water she holds in her right hand. She listens to the conversation that is being held, most of the time she zones out, wrapped deep in her thoughts. She thinks back to what happened at the abandoned Hashima factory. Thinking about the hunter that saved her from Blood. A lot of unexplained things happened tonight, but among them all, she couldn't stop thinking about the mysterious female fanus she encountered. Throughout the ordeal, she noticed a few glaring things that made her wonder who the hunter is. The way she fought. The way she moved. The hunter's semblance even strongly resembles her own. But when she caught a glimpse of half of the hunter's face, millions of thoughts and questions begun to run a race through her head.

As if etched into her mind, she can still see the expression on the fanus's face when they made eye contact, as if she didn't want her face to be seen. She clearly remembers how much this mysterious person closely resembles to her. Blake knows for a fact that she doesn't have any siblings, so one though remained. "Could that have been my..." Blake speaks to herself in a low tone. "...Mom?" During her time with the White Fang, Blake did all she could to search for her missing mother. Which is one of the main reasons she joined the White Fang since her mother was a member of the group.

At the time, Lara was wanted by the White Fang for dissertation. But since they could never find her, they presumed her to be dead. Blake. Of course, Blake didn't believe this. But after years of searching, she eventually gave up. After her encounter, the thoughts of her mother still being alive start to resurface after being buried for so many years. ' _If that was her then shes still alive, right? If it was then...why was she there? Did she become one of those people Kazato's team just told us about?'_ Her thoughts then goes towards the fight against Blood. Remembering the unexplained things Lara did with her supernatural abilities along with the crazed state she was in before fleeing. _'Why? Why?! WHY?!'_ This word repeatedly plays as numerous questions race within her mind. Blake's grip around her glass of water begins to tighten as these thoughts start to get to her. _'Why did she...abandon me?'_

"How do we know if someone is going to turn into a Grimm?" Weiss throws the next question at Team KREL.

"It starts off as a sickness known to very few as the Scourge." Lucilia answers the heiress.

"The Scourge?" Ruby repeats with a raised eyebrow. Lucilia responds with a nod as she continues. "There are five stages of the sickness." Forming a fist with her right hand, she lifts up one finger for each stage she goes over. "Stage one is severe coughs and sudden sharp pains. This is when the Grimm starts to grow within the host. Stage two is mild seizures or attacks. This is where the Grimm moves to affect the host's brain. Stage three is abrupt violent outbursts. At this point, the Grimm starts to affect the host's mind and behaviors. Making them dangerously violent and aggressive."

"...And thats when the brotherhood starts hunting for you." Kazato manages to slide in an extra piece of information before the Arcana continues.

"Stage four is complete insanity. Now the host's mind, body, and soul is completely taken over by their Grimm. And stage 5, the final stage, is..."

"Grimm..." Elisa answers grim expression on her face while gazing down towards the table. This subject is clearly bring back tragic memories of her father's death. Her teammates exchanging looks of sympathy for the girl.

Team RWBY takes a moment to take in what they've learned. To be honest, all of this sounds unreal. But given the horrid, unexplainable things they've seen, they know for a fact that Team KREL isn't making it up. While Ruby let's all of this sink in, a disturbing though hits her. "Um...guys?" She says to her team gaining their attention, mostly Weiss and Yang. "Didn't Professor Oobleck said that Professor Clark has an unknown sickness?"

Both Weiss's and Yang's eyes lit up with realization that Alexander's health issues is exactly like the stages Lucilia just informed them about. "Wait? You don't mean..." Yang utters what a slack-jawed expression.

"Oh god. He already went through the first two stages." Weiss expresses her horrified shock with her hand covering her mouth that is gaping open. Lucilia's own expression turns grim upon hearing this as she let's out a sigh. "Damn. Sounds like his sickness is progressing."

"You guys knew about this?" Weiss asks the four.

"We noticed it the moment we first saw the guy." Rize told her. "And before anyone ask, there was nothing we could do about it."

"But IS there something we can do to help him? I mean, he has a daughter." Ruby pleads with her silver eyes filled with desperation to help the man. "I agree with Ruby." Elisa looks up at her team, her amber eyes filled with desperation as well. "There HAS to be something we can do. We can't just sit by and let him turn into a Grimm."

"We want to help him as well you two, but there is really nothing we can do about it. This is an internal conflict that Professor Clark must handle on his own. Besides, he is in the care of the school's staff. It's out of our jurisdiction." Lucilia tells them. Both girl's eyes become filled with depression as their gazes shift to the table.

"You guys said that you noticed this. How?" Yang hurls another question at the young Vilebloods.

"Well. First off, Lucilia, due to a trait that runs in her family that causes their eyes to seemly glow, can see a black and red mist coming from a person's body. That's how she is able to know. As for us, our Grimm...has it's way of letting us sense it." Kazato answers the brawler.

 _'She can see it too?'_ Ruby thinks after hearing about Lucilia's special hereditary trait.

"How does it do that?" Yang throws another question, wanting to learn as much as she can about their strange power.

"Well..." Kazato scratches the back of his head while thinking of a way to explain it. "One of them is kinda like a pulsating feeling in our gut. To be honest, it normally does it to warn us if danger is nearby. It's a weird feeling. Why it does it that way? I have no idea."

"A pulsating feeling..." Yang repeats to herself, looking to be deep in thought. She does remember having strange queasy feelings at the oddest of times lately. And each time, it's before something life threatening happens. Seeing the brawler deep in thought, Kazato thinks back to Yang's devastating meltdown towards the end of their team sparring session. Given that she is a Cursed Hunter as well, her Grimm reacted to her anger when she snapped, linking it's power with her. Since they've told Team RWBY about the Cursed Hunters, Kazato feels that it is right to tell the brawler that she is one of them. She has every right to know.

"Hey Yang..." Kazato calls out to her in a serious tone that regaining the blond's attention. "There is something I need to- OW!" Kazato abruptly shouts in pain due to Lucilia stomping on his left foot, cutting him off. "What the hell was that for?!"

"I need to talk to you outside for a minute." Lucilia tells her team leader as she raises from her chair and walks towards the exit door. Kazato let's out an growl before leaving out as well. "You damn son of a..." As soon as the two leave out the library, loud arguing voices erupt just outside. The members Team RWBY, except for Blake who is still wrapped in her thoughts, raise their confused eyebrows towards Rize and Elisa. The two sisters just respond with a petty laugh and a shrug.

"Sooo..." Elisa breaks the silence before it grows too long. "With all the weird stuff that happened aside, has anyone wondered what the White Fang were up to out there?"

"That has crossed my mind too. Given all the stuff they had." Rize mentions the stolen Atlas weaponry the White Fang had.

As if a natural reaction to the name of the infamous group, an thin eyebrow twitches on Weiss's forehead. "What is there to wonder about? They were obviously going to cause trouble like the bunch of uncivilized animals they really are." A hint of hatred can be heard in the heiress's voice as she speaks ill about the fanuses. 'Animal' is the one word that Blake despises the most among everything in the world. And as a natural reaction to hearing the name, Blake immediately snaps a venomous glare at the Schnee.

"Whoa, don't you think that last part was a little extreme?" Rize says to the heiress.

"That's what they are! Animal-"

"Don't call them that!" Blake aburptly slams her hands on the long table with an outburst of rage as she stands up from her chair, shouting at the Schnee. The fanus can feel her stress and frustration turn into anger towards the ice queen. "Okay, so they did some things that gave them a bad reputation! But that doesn't give you the right to call them animals!"

"Doesn't give me the right?!" Weiss shouts back with equal an amount of anger as she stands up from her chair as well, facing against the fanus. The two pairs of sisters look back and forth between the fanus and the Schnee. "Do you not know how much pain and suffering they cause people?! You've seen the stolen Atlas tech they had, yet you decide to defend them?! They are nothing but ruthless, bloodthirsty cut-throats that care about no one but themselves! They loot and pillage! Steal and kill! Heck! They probably have a few rapists in there! Like a pack of animal-"

"SHUT THE HELL UP!" Outraged, the fanus flings her glass of water that the heiress so suddenly that the Schnee barely has enough time to dodge it. The glass of water shatters against the wall, nearly missing Weiss's face by an inch. Everyone's remains quite with the shear surprise at the amount of force Blake threw the glass with.

"Have you lost your min-" Blake tackles and slams Weiss against the wall before she could finish her words, pinning the Schnee with her right forearm pressing hard against the heiress's neck. "What do you know?! You don't know anything at all about us!" Blake shouts with rage and hatred swirling within her eyes as she makes eye contact with the pinned Schnee. "You wonder why we do the things we do? It's because of people like you! We try, try, and try but no one ever supports us! We always get looked over! Criticized! Spit on! Not a single day goes by without someone trying to treat us like animals! You people are the reason why we live the life we have chosen! You people are the REAL animals!"

"We?" Ruby repeats with a raised eyebrow.

"Okay you two, break it up!" Yang takes action with a demanding tone, moving to pull the girls apart with Elisa joining her.

"Blake, you gotta calm down! You're hurting Weiss!" Elisa mentions the expression on Weiss's face who is struggling to get the fanus off.

"Get the hell off me!" Blake shouts as she fights against the blonds. During the struggle, Yang accidentally grabs onto Blake's black bow and pulls it off. At that moment, everyone gasps with eyes filled with unexpected shock. Seeing something that they never expected. Cat ears.

"Are those...cat ears?" Elisa asks with astonishment.

"Blake...you're a..." Ruby stares at her teammate. Quickly realizing that her bow has been removed, Blake snatches her black ribbon from Yang while elbowing her out of the way, dashing straight for the exit door.

* * *

"You still haven't even told Weiss the real reason why your family can't get along with her's! I'm not like you Lucilia! I'm gonna come clean and tell Yang what she needs to know!" Kazato yells at the Arcana in defense of his previous choice of action.

"I can clearly see that's true!" Lucilia responds to the boy's comment saying that he isn't like her. "But unlike you, I think about what the outcome may be if I tell her. Weiss doesn't know about the Vilebloods, the Executioners, nor the dark past of our families! Yang is the same! She doesn't know about her Vileblood origin nor does she know that shes a Cursed Hunter! You've already seen the look on their faces when we told them that they have a Grimm within them! Yet you're going to reveal this to Yang anyway?! You're just going to march in there and say _"Oh hey Yang. Try not to freak out, but you're also part of a race of blood lusting hunters and you're also a Cursed Hunter."_ How do you know what the outcome will be?! Do you even know how she'll take it?!"

The young girl's words ramble within Kazato's mind, causing him to think. She has a valid point. Telling Team RWBY the legend of the Grimm within did seem to be a lot for them to take in. Dropping a bombshell like that could cause unwanted problems. Ever since the day he found out that Yang is like him and his sisters, he wanted to tell her but was waiting for the right time. He just doesn't want to lie to her any more than he has.

"I've noticed that you and Yang are talking more. I know it may be hard to keep these things a secret, but somethings are best left hidden. By the way..." Reaching into her jacket, Lucilia pulls out and hands him a red leathered book with a golden insignia resting the center of the cover.. "Here is the book that contains the history of the Vilebloods. Remember the promise you guys made me." Kazato gazes at the book before he takes it into his hands.

Just then, Blake bolts through the library door, startling the two Vilebloods as she sprints pass them. "Wait? That was Blake. Why is she running?" Kazato asks the question that neither him nor Lucilia has the answer to. "Blake!" Ruby's voice can be heard shortly after the fanus flees from the building. The rest of Team RWBY and KREL run out of the library in pursuit of the fanus.

"What the bloody hell is going on here?" Lucilia immediately hurls a question at the frantic group.

"Guys, go on ahead after Blake." Rize tells everyone before they all take off in the direction where Blake had gone. "Rize, what the hell is going on? Why did Blake come running out of the library like someone was chasing her?" Kazato ask his sister.

"Long story short, Weiss said some things about the White Fang that ruffled Blake's feathers. The two got into a argument. Blake became aggressive toward Weiss. Yang and Elisa tried to break it up. Turns out, she uses that black bow she always wears to cover her cat-ears. Shes a fanus."

"Shes a fanus?" Both Kazato and Lucilia blink with shock and surprise.

"Yeah, explains why she was taking the things Weiss said so personally. Hey, we can talk about this later. We have to go after her."

Blake finds herself panting heavily in an alleyway between two dorm buildings. With her legs and lungs burning from sprinting all the way from the library, she rests her back on the cold brick wall behind her. The cool bricks bringing a sense of relief to her back.

"Blake!" A voice shortly calls out to her. Peeking around the corner, she sees three of her friends calling out as they look for her. Kazato, Yang, and Ruby.

"Blake! Where are you?" Yang calls out to her.

"Come on Blake, stop playing around! We don't have all night to play hide and seek!" Kazato yells out.

The fanus ignores the calls out her friends. Right now, she wants to be alone. She needs to find a quiet place to clear her mind of the anger, stress, and frustration she is feeling. As these emotions continue to linger, a sudden sharp pain shoots through the fanus's right arm causing her to grimace and clinch her teeth in agonizing pain. She falls against the wall she was leaning on, the pain feeling as if it's starting to grow. Shifting her gazes down towards her arm, what she sees fills her eyes with fear. A glimpse of a black and red mist disappearing from her arm along with the sharp pain that is starting to fade away.

"W-What...was that?" Blake asks herself. At that moment, her memory of what Lucilia said about the Grimm within comes back to her.

 _"_ _It starts off as a sickness. There are five stages. Stage one is severe coughs and sudden sharp pains..."_

 _'It's feeding off of my emotions!'_ Blake quickly realizes what is happening. "Okay, stay calm. It gets stronger from negative emotions, right? I just need to find somewhere to help clear my mind." Just across the way, Blake sees a airship loaded with cargo that is just about to depart from the dorks. She quickly decides that she'll hitch a ride on the cargo ship. She doesn't know where the ship will take her, but anywhere is better than here.

* * *

"Hold her down as hard as you can!" Someone yells while five hunters are currently struggling to restrain an aggressively violate Lara. With a heavy black and red mist that emits from her body, the fanus let's out fearsome screams while fighting against the hunters that try to restrain her.

"Damn! Shes not calming down!" Claire swears with frustration and worry for the fanus's well-being, seeing her getting more and more aggressive. "You!" She shifts her gaze towards a female hunter. "Bring me the tablets!"

"Shes already at stage 3! How do we know if it'll-"

"For god sake, get me the bloody tablets! I'm refuse to lose another hunter to the Grimm!" Claire forces her order as one of the exemplars of the brotherhood. With a quick nod, the female hunter runs out of the bedroom to retrieve what Claire asked for. In the midst of all this, Qrow stands in the back observing the whole ordeal with a slack-jawed expression.

 _'So this is what a Grimm does to a person?'_ Is the thought that goes through his mind while watching the suffering fanus give five hunters a helluva struggle. He looks at the hunters in the room. Some of them human, others fanuses. _'Who exactly are these people? How long has this been going on?'_

"Hey handsome." Scarlet approaches the Branwen, gaining his attention. "Wait for me outside. Things are about get real ugly here."

"You sure you don't need any extra hands?" The Branwen asks her.

"We got it from here. Hunters handle with their own affairs. Besides, with the way her Grimm is behaving right now, it won't be safe for you here. Not that I'm trying to say anything to offend you."

"No, I understand. I'll be outside." With those exchange of words, Qrow exits the bedroom and proceeds down the stairs of the house they are in. He can hear Lara's fearsome screams boom throughout the house from within the room.

"Move aside!" Yells a female hunter that left to get the medicine moments ago. Qrow turns his body sideways so the hunter could get by, her stomping footsteps booming throughout the house as she runs up the stairs. Proceeding down the stairs and exiting the front door, he walks out onto the moonlit cobblestone streets of Dusk Haven, also known as Little Yharnam. Home and birth place of the Black Wing Hunters. Qrow gazes up at the moonlit night sky, seeing the dark clouds that pass in front of the shattered moon.

His thoughts begin to wonder, thinking back to when he encountered Raven at Hashima. Questions begin to arise within his mind, remembering their past conversations. _'Is this what you've been up to all these years Rav? Why are you working with Salem?'_ To help calm his nerves, he takes out a flask he keeps on him and turns it up to his lips.

"Great. Now we have another drinker amongst us." Comes a familiar female voice. Shifting his attention towards the direction of the voice, he see the hunter he encountered back in Hashima walking in his direction. Trish. This time, she is wearing casual clothing instead of her cloak and mask. "Trish, right?" Qrow turns to face the woman. "Thanks for saving my ass back there. That woman, whoever she is, sure gave me a run for my money."

"Hunters take care of their own. Whether you're with the brotherhood or not." The blond answers as she cross her arms and leans on the side of the stone steps of the house. "I take it that they kicked you out?" She makes a gesture towards the front door of the house. Qrow chuckles in response while looking towards the door. "Seems like it. They think I'll be safer out here than in there."

"Yeah, that sounds like the brotherhood." Trish gives a chuckle of her own. "We don't let outsiders get involved with our internal affairs. So it's nothing personal. By the way..." She regains his attention. "I'm pretty sure you have questions that you're just dying to ask us."

"Funny you should say, I have a list of questions actually."

"Well in that case, ask away."

"Okay. Let's start with the simple, easier questions first. Who are you people exactly? And what's up is the crow get-up? I have a feeling that it's not just for show." The Branwen refers to the hunter's crow attire that they wear. Trish scoffs. "I thought we were doing the simple and easy questions? Alright, I'll start with our _get-up_ since it goes hand in hand with your first question." The Arcana takes a breath before beginning. "Scarlet told us about a bit about you. About how your semblance is the reason you were given the name you have. We, in a sense, see ourselves the same way. Our attire...represents the ill-omen that we bring. We...are hunters that hunt both beast...and man"

 _'Hunters that hunt both people and Grimm?'_ Qrow thinks as he listens.

"As hunters, we carry a torch. A torch where we become defenders that don't only protect Remnant from beasts, but also from themselves. We chose to symbolize ourselves as crows because our line of work doesn't always make lives better."

"Like if you had to kill someone's close friend or family member." Qrow gives an example to show that he is following along. Understanding where she is coming from.

Trish responds with a confirming nod. "Long ago, during the first hunt, there were two kinds of hunters. Hunters and hunters of hunters. The hunters, which was us, hunted Grimm. Protecting the innocents from the beasts. However, a hunter can be affected by the negative influences of the hunt. The Grimm within starts to affect the hunter's mental state, causing them to lose themselves to bloodlust. That is where the hunters of hunters come in. They hunt and eliminate hunters crazed by the hunt, so they won't be a danger to themselves and others around them. The actions of both sides contributed to protecting the innocents. But after seeing what they fought so hard to protect can easily become what they sought out to destroy, the two sides quickly realize that their line of work can go hand in hand with each other. So naturally, they joined hands and merged. At that moment, the entire definition of a hunter was rewritten. It was no longer about hunting beasts and heroics. Or being a shadow of death for hunters who lose their way. New definition of a hunter: Hunt and eliminate a threat. No matter who...or what it is. And that...is how the Black Wing Hunters came to be. An idea birthed by Gerhnam, the first hunter."

"Gehrman, the first hunter. I've heard of that name before." Qrow remembers learning about said name during his school days. "Alright, next question."

"What? We're still going?" Trish raises an eyebrow.

"I said I have a list, didn't I? These freaky powers you guys have. How did that all started?" The Branwen throws another question.

"Oh that?" The hunter answers as if the question is an everyday thing. "This started shortly after the first hunt, after Gerhnam passed. It was during the first hunt that the Black Wing Hunters and The Silver-Eyed Hunters met. And from what I've heard, those Silver-Eyes were something else. Unlike the Silver-Eyes, the hunters were, well, ordinary hunters. Wanting to be able to keep up with their allies and to increase their chances of surviving the hunt if it should arise again..."

"They discovered this power." Qrow finishes for the hunter, who gives a confirming nod. "That's right."

Right before the before the next question could be thrown, Scarlet walks out of the front door of the house with Claire close behind. "Well, I see that you two are chatting it up." Scarlet says to the two.

"How is she?" Trish expresses concern from the fanus.

"Luckily, she calmed down. But shes going to be out for a while." Claire answers her twin sister. "Right now, she is hanging on by a thread. She wasn't like this before her assignment. Whatever happened in Hashima, it must've really pushed her over the edge. We'll give her the special tablets to suppress her Grimm, but that's only granting her borrowed time.

"I see..." Trish says as her expression turns grim.

"Well...all that matters now is that she didn't turn. She still has time to resolve whatever is feeding her Grimm." Scarlet tells the three. "Right now, we better get going if we're gonna beat the crowd."

"Beat the crowd? Go where?" Qrow raises an eyebrow.

"Remember that crate filled with body parts you've found? Well, you did us a huge favor by finding those."

* * *

While walking the lit up streets of the town and answering Qrow's list of questions, the four make their way to the town's center. As they walk, Qrow couldn't help but admire the Gothic-Victorian architecture of the town. Then though the style makes the town look a bit old-fashion, he can tell that it's just as modern as any other town or city he has been to. Especially for a place that is supposedly secluded in the middle of a valley to have power.

Just up ahead, he sees a clocktower that oversees the town and at the base of the clocktower is a building that resembles a church building. Upon arrival, they see a man with short blond hair and seemingly glowing purple eyes smoking a cigar by the front entrance. "It's about time you guys had it. The place is almost jammed pack."

"Put that damn cigar out Jacob. People don't want to smell cigar smoke when they walk out the door." Trish tells her younger brother in a demanding tone, a little irritated that he is smoking in the first place.

The cigar smoke exits out from the hunter's nostrils before he complies. "Alright fine. Only because the meeting is about to start." He says as her puts the cigar out. Following the hunters inside the building, Qrow sees that Jacob wasn't playing about it being jammed pack. A crowd of people, both human and fanus, fill the insides of the building. Numerous conversations can be heard all at once, multiple voices mingling together. Seeing these hunters and seeing how casually they dress, they all look like ordinary people. He would have no way of suspecting any of them to be a Cursed Hunter without their attire or using their supernatural abilities. Since the crowd isn't a tight squeeze, the Branwen is able to easily maneuver through the crowd.

"In tonight's news, we are on the line with Atlas military General, James Ironwood, to discuss about the strange occurrences that have happened recently around Remnant." Comes a female voice through a radio. The name of said general brings Qrow's attention to a group of people surrounding a radio sitting on a table. Walking over to the group, he joins them and listens to the voices on the radio.

"General Ironwood, Remnant is in a time of both confusion and panic. The nights are starting to grow longer by the day, Grimm activity is increasing drastically, and people are reporting feeling frequent tremors worldwide. What is your take on this mysterious phenomenon?" The female news reporter asks the general.

"Well Ms. Loveland..." James speaks the woman's name. "We can't say for sure what is causing the nights to grow longer. But we do suspect that the length of these nights may be the cause of the increasing Grimm activity. Therefore, I strongly urge people to not travel after dark. I've heard rumors that incenses wards off the Grimm. I was skeptical about this at first, but found out that it is effective. So if you have incense by any chance or know where to obtain some, I strongly recommend you use them. As for the frequent tremors, I already have my top scientists hard at work to discover the cause."

"I see. Also general, is the Atlas military looking into the recent string of disappearances happening around Remnant?"

"Yes. With the approval for Chancellor Izunia, we are looking into the matter." The general answers her question. "Sadly, just hours before this interview, a small village was overrun with Grimm. Even though the Grimm wreaked havoc upon the village, we didn't find any corpses or human remains. Another thing that baffled us was that each and every one of the Grimm wore torn, ripped, and tattered clothing on their bodies. I know this will sound crazy coming from me, but it seemed as if the villagers became the Grimm themselves."

"That sounds like a superstitious theory to me." The reporter responds with a chuckle.

Jame's chuckling can be heard through the line as well. "Yes, it does." The hunters listening to this conversation on the other hand, didn't find this funny at all. "Those poor bastards." Said one of the male hunters, slowly shaking his head with a grim expression on his face.

"What isn't a theory nor superstitious, is that there is in fact an unknown illness spreading around." James brings the interview back to a serious tone. "You mean the rising epidemic? Do you have any information for our listeners?" The reporter asks, eager to learn anything about the strange sickness infecting people.

"We don't have much on the illness nor do we know how it is spread. But during studies, we've discovered that each individual who suffers from the illness all start with the same symptom. Severe, uncontrollable coughing and sharp pains in their bodies."

"What should one do if they or someone around them show these symptoms?"

"If these symptoms should arise, I strongly urge you to go to your local hospital. This isn't a move we wanted to take, but any and all infected persons will be placed in quarantine until we discover a way to resolve this."

"Quarantine... That's..." The news reporter starts.

"Not pleasant, I know. But it's best to take action then to not take any action at all." James responds, not sounding entirely proud of the decision himself.

"Well thats all the time we have for this interview. It was a pleasure to have you on the line with us General Ironwood. We and they our listeners thank you for your insight." The reporter expresses her graditude before ending the interview. "No, thank you Ms. Loveland." With that being said, James hangs up the call. "Our next caller is a huntsman who has been hunting Grimm for 25 years..."

 _'I wonder if James is doing anything about his toys being stolen.'_ Qrow thinks back to the stolen Atlas tech the White Fang had possession of.

"Are you familiar with the city known as Yharnam little missy?" Asks a man's voice on the radio that sounds to have an country accent. This regains Qrow's attention.

"Um...I am actually. I sure everyone knows about the abandoned ancient city." The reporters responds.

"Well a few of my buddies and I followed a Nevermore all the way to the dump. And as you may know, the place is practically a breeding ground and home for Grimm. While we were there, we began to the ground starting to shake, as if something was stomping. And then, standing right by the old clocktower, there is was!"

"There was what?" The reporter asks.

"A Grimm! But not just any Grimm! It was huge and it looked like a giant man! It stood just as tall as the clocktower itself!" The huntsman exclaim while describing what he saw in Yharnam.

"A giant man? You mean like a Giant?"

The huntsman laughs. "Oh, I think the big fellow deserves a better name than that. A Titan! A Colossus! A Goliath!"

"I'm sorry... A Titan? Colossus?" The reporter repeats.

"What? You don't believe me? You kingdom folk don't know what it's like out here. You think you're so safe because you're hiding behind your little walls. Well listen up. The longer a Grimm lives, the son of a bitch starts to get smarter. And one of these days, those damn varmints are gonna come together and use that titan to kick down you're little walls and invade you. That should be a wake up call for us to stop taking these creatures lightly. Remember, you heard it here first."

"He must've seen an S-Class." One hunter announces the type of Grimm the huntsman saw. "The Grimm population must be getting worst in Yharnam."

Departing from the group, Qrow spots Scarlet leaning against a wall with her arms crossed. "Look at you being all anti-social over here." The Branwen says with a grin as he approaches her.

The queen looks towards him with a grin of her own. "Look at you coming over here all sober. I'm surprise you're not somewhere gorging yourself with boozes." Qrow gives a chuckles to her remark. "Hey, after this meeting, how about you show me where the bars are. I'll be more than happy to help myself to a drink or two."

Scarlet responses with a chuckle of her own before her grin starts to slowly fade. "Qrow..." She starts. "Your sister...shes-"

"Working with Salem. I know." The Branwen interrupts her with his own grin fading. "I just...don't feel like talking about that right now Scar." Scarlet gives an nod in understanding. "I completely understand. Just remember that I'm willing to talk when you want to get this off your chest. Don't go drowning yourself in alcohol."

"Scarlet" A familiar female voice calls out to the Vileblood. Bringing their attention to the source of the voice, they spot Claire approaching them.

"Well look who it is. Care to converse with us." Scarlet asks the rosy haired woman with a greeting smile.

"No. In fact, I want to clear something thats has been on my mind." The Arcana tells the queen, receiving an raised eyebrow from her.

"Very well, ask away."

"Your children. Kazato, Rize, and Elisa. Have you informed them about Edward's death?" This question causes the greeting smile on Scarlet's face the quickly fade, replaced with a look of sorrow.

 _'Wait? She has kids?!'_ Qrow exclaims in his thought with shock and surprise. Because of how young Scarlet looks, he didn't expect her to have children. Then again, she isn't human.

"No... I haven't." Scarlet sighs. "I'm...getting around to it." The expression of uneasiness can clearly be seen on the Vileblood's face. The though of telling her kids about their uncle becoming a Grimm starts to show the unsettled expression she was hiding.

Understanding what she is feeling, Claire expresses her sympathy for the pure-blood. "Scarlet... I know that breaking this kind of news is hard, especially to your own children. The burial is in a few days. They must know so they can prepare themselves. And it's best that they hear it from their own mother instead of one of us."

"Well... At least you know its easier said than done."

"Excuse me! Everyone, I would like your attention!" Comes a young female voice. Everyone in the building brings their attention to a young woman who stands at the front of the crowd on a stage-like platform. Standing at a podium, Hope herself stands in front of the multitude of hunters. Next to her is a table covered with a white sheet. "I am Hope Valentine. I am from our brethren that watches over the kingdom of Atlas. And on this table under this sheet, I present to you what the White Fang was transporting at the ruined city of Hashima." She grabs the sheet and pulls it off the table, revealing the jars of strange looking body parts Qrow had found.

Almost immediately, all of the hunters in the building showed looks of disgust followed by a few chatters. "We all know what these are and what they are used for. These special body parts are the ingredients used to bring about the hunt."

"And you mean to tell us that the White Fang were collecting these things?!" A male hunter shouts.

"Do they have any idea of what their messing with?!" Shouts a female fanus.

"The items are only as dangerous as the person who is using them." Says woman with long black hair that reaches her shoulder with bit of red at the end and seemingly glowing purple eyes. Claire's cousin, Monica. "So they are harmless in the hands of the White Fang."

"Only problem is the White Fang are not the ones using these items." Claire tells to her cousin. "It's been confirmed that Salem has her hand in this as well. I've confronted a woman at the Hashima factory who clearly has ties with the witch. She wore a mask, so I couldn't identify her." She mentions her fight against Cinder, who managed to escape with Blood's interference.

"You mean that pasty looking bitch?" Says a red haired young man sitting in a chair lounging back with a hoverboard on his lap. Roy. "Why are we just sitting here twitting our thumbs? Let's get our asses in gear and get this bitch!"

Trish gives an irritated sigh as she pinches the bridge of her nose. "And you wonder why you're not a hunter yet. How the bloody hell can we stop her if we don't know where she is?!" The young man was about to respond but stops himself.

"Yes, just stay quiet before you make yourself look any stupider." Monica tells the young Vileblood.

Jacob, smoking his cigar near an open window, gives a chuckle. "No wonder he was easily getting his ass handed to him by a Schnee." He mentions when Roy fought Winter's cousin, Arktis Schnee, during their big family brawl.

"Hey! You were getting your ass handed too!" Roy fires back.

"Dammit Jacob! I told you to put that cigar out!" Trish yells at her brother, always hating the sight of him smoking.

"Hey bugger off! I'm by a bloody window!"

"Wait a minute!" Shouts another male hunter, going back to the topic at hand. "Those body parts are used to lure something out, right? What the hell is she baiting?!"

More chatters begins to arise from the crowd of hunters, but even louder this time. Um...excuse me! Attention please! We're getting off track!" Hope tries her hardest to regain everyone's attention but to no avail. Her voice is like a mouse compared to the booming voices of the hunters. Drowning her out. "Shes not use to handling big crowds, isn't she?" Qrow asks, seeing the young woman struggleing to make her presence known to the crowd again. Claire sighs as she raises from her chair. "I better go help her."

"EXCUSE ME!" Hope yells at the top of her lungs but just isn't able to overcome the booming crowd. Giving a sigh, she draws out her Hunter's Pistol, aims it towards the ceiling, and pulls the trigger. The loud gunshot rings throughout the building, immediately grabbing the crowd's attention again.

Scarlet let's out an whistle of surprise while Qrow swears to himself. "Damn..."

"What is going on here?" Comes a voice that sounds like a elderly man's. The crowd of hunters move aside, making a pathway that leads to the front door. In the doorway is a elderly man, wearing a black hooded cloak that covers his face, sitting in a wheelchair. Beside him is a IV stand with a blood bag hang on it. IV tubes stick into his left arm, a steady flow of blood entering his veins. Behind him is Saya herself, who pushes the man down the pathway, passing by the gazing hunters.

Whispers can be heard as Saya pushes the elderly man up on the stage-like platform, via ramp, beside Hope. "Who is that?" Qrow asks with a raised eyebrow.

"It's the Father Hunter... Hes awake again." Claire speaks to herself which Qrow manages to hear her.

"Where am I? Is this...Yharnam?" The Father Hunter asks the exemplar who is standing next to him.

"No Father Hunter. You are in Dusk Haven. A settlement the hunters built near the workshop." Saya answers him.

"Oh...that's right. I tend to forget...from time to time." The elderly man's speech seems to give off an exhausting feel due to the occasional pauses in between words.

"If you want me to tell you what happened to the city, I'll-"

"There is no need. I've seen what happened. You...and the Silver-eyes...did all that you could to save them. You even went as far...to free me...from my shackles." The elder man tell her. "Saya...is it?"

"Yes Father Hunter" The woman nods.

"Please...remove this hood. So that I may see...my hunters clearly." Giving a nod, Saya pulls back the man's hood, revealing his face. Almost immediately, every eye in the build, including Saya's, widens with utter shock and disbelief upon realizing who the man is. Qrow's confused gazes wanders around at the silent crowd of hunters, seeing the slack-jawed expressions on their faces.

"Well I'll be damned." Scarlet's shocked expression turning into a grin. _'He looks the same as when he was in the Dream.'_ "Gerhnam, the first hunter."

"Wait, wha?!" Qrow's eyes instantly widens. "That's THE Gerhnam?" The Branwen quickly brings his attention back towards the old hunter in the wheelchair. He couldn't believe it. Sitting in front of the crowd is the man talked about in Huntsmen history. The man who inspired the idea of huntsmen and huntresses. The pigments that gives Gerhnam's neck length hair color is gone, leaving it with a bleach white color. Aside from that, his wrinkled skin is only a clear sign that his body was clearly touched by the hand of time.

Gerhnam gazes upon the crowd of hunters that stand before him, all still having expressions of disbelief. Of course they would react this way upon knowing that the brotherhood's founder is still alive. Through the years Gerhnam had been asleep, trapped in the dream, it was the exemplars, master hunters, that lead the brotherhood in his absents. A small smile of relief manages to form on the old hunter's lips. "I see... that my hunters are still as I remembered, but with a few slight changes. Not like...how this world has changed. This world has changed while I was in the dream, it went on without me. It has changed so much...that its no longer the world I once knew. I am clueless about it."

The old hunter attempts to lift his right hand but finds it difficult to even move. Saya places her hand over his and gently helps him lift his hand. "I've been in the dream for so long...that I've forgotten that a body could age. I've forgotten...what it was like to have a physical body. It's hard to move, my memory slips from me, and I can't do the things I use to anymore, without assistances." The shocked expressions of the hunters turn into ones of sympathy for their old mentor, seeing that he had long woken up to a world completely transformed from the era he lived in.

Seeing the IV tubes attached to his arm, Gerhnam's gaze follows the tubes up to the blood bag on the IV stand. "But all that we have endured will soon be worth it. Once we help this world survive the _Time of Revelation_. This nightmare. Our contract. This...curse. Will finally be over... At least I hope..." He whispers the last part to himself.

"Contract? Curse? I'm not understanding any of this? What is he talking about?" Qrow quickly shifts his gaze over to Scarlet. All that is happening completely bewildering him.

"That's right, I've never did tell you about our curse." The Vilebloods replies to his confusion. "Ever wondered why we call ourselves Cursed Hunters? It's not because of our power with the Grimm. Long ago, the hunters before us supposedly committed a great, gruesome sin involving a great one, a god. As a consequence, a curse was placed upon them and their descendants. After death, they are sent to a place of torment for all eternity."

"So basically, Hell."

"I guess you can call the Nightmare that. And since we're descendants of those hunters, the curse is passed down to us. And believe it or not, this also includes you too, Qrow." Scarlet tells the Branwen, receiving a look from him.

"Me? But I'm not one of you?"

"But you're a huntsman, right?" Claire asks him. "The curse affects anyone who takes up hunting."

"On the contrary Claire, Remnant itself is cursed. If you think about it. The kingdoms. Huntsmen and Huntresses. All that makes Remnant what it is today originated from Yharnam." Scarlet tells the Arcana.

"Well, the city was said to be cursed. And when people left thinking that we could escape it, all they did was carried it with them. And ended up poisoning their own world." Claire sigh as she shakes her head.

Scarlet gives an agreeing nod. "Exactly. The people that left, built villages that became towns. Towns that became cities. And cities that became entire kingdoms. They even trained their own hunters, changing the name to huntsmen. They even went as far as to replace to use of blood with Dust. Trying every way they could to erase any ties they had with Yharnam. Unfortunately, that didn't work. The curse was still with them."

"So basically we were screwed the moment we are born? Is that what you're saying?" Qrow clearly doesn't like what he is hearing. Having to pay for what someone else did way back when.

"Calm down" Claire responds to the Branwen's hysteria. "If you were to die now, you won't fall into the Nightmare. That only happens if you die during the hunt. When the curse was first bewitched upon us, it started the first hunt. The era Gerhnam is familiar with. But the hunt isn't upon we, so the curse can't do it's work."

"Oh? That's a relief." Qrow takes breath.

"As for the contract he mentioned is a blood contract, one that can't be broken. One that passes down from generation to generation of hunters." Scarlet begins to explain the contract. "It is said that the hunters before us forged a contract with a Great One, thus establishing a spiritual plane we call the Hunter's Dream. The Dream...sustain us during the hunt, counteracting against the curse. If a hunter dies during the hunt, the Hunter's Dream automatically rewrites their death as a bad dream. In other words, it brings us back after death. Only to jump right back into the hunt."

"You keep coming back no matter how many times you die? I don't think anyone wants to go through that." Qrow comments on the death and resurrection cycle the hunters have to deal with.

"No one does." Trish speaks out after over hearing their conversation. "Remember the torch I told we have to carry? That is the major part of it. The Silver-Eyes also signed the same contract and they carried the torch with us. Well, use to."

"Father Hunter. Um...sir." Hope speaks to the old hunter. "What do you by _Time of Revelation_? Are you talking about the hunt?"

Gerhnam slowly gives a nod to the young hunter's question. "Yes. But this...will be the worst hunt we have yet to face. The previous hunts that took place in Yharnam...were just a taste...of what the Nightmare is truly capable of. Caused by man...meddling what something he doesn't understand. Past mistakes...constantly being repeated. When the TRUE hunt begins, this world...will end. And Salem...knows this as well as I do. I've seen it. Every time I close my eyes to sleep, I see what is to come...through my dreams. Three Nightmares will be brought upon this world. The first being the beast...Ragnarok." Gerhnam begins to prophecies what is to come to the hunters.

"What the hell is a Ragnarok?" Qrow automatically goes to his living history books.

"A beast that appeared during the first hunt. It is said that it was Remnant's first Nightmare." Scarlet answers the Branwen.

"A Nightmare is something that doesn't belong in this world. Something that is straight from the Nightmare itself." Claire answers Qrow's next potential question to save him some breath.

"The second..." Gerhnam continues. "Is one that our forebears found on the shores of a forgotten hamlet. This beast is already among us and has already risen out of the sea."

"Any idea of what he meant by that?" Qrow throws another question that the hunters. To the Branwen, this place, these people, is like a huge history book he never heard about. The longer he sticks around, the more things he learns. Even though it leaves him a little baffled at times. Scarlet rests her chin between her thumb and index finger as she becomes deep in thought. "Hmm. I do remember hearing a legend about a corpse of a unknown creature found on the shores somewhere in Remnant."

"I've heard about that legend too." Jacob joins in on the conversation while putting his cigar out on an ashtray. "And every time I think about it, it brings me back to this old hunters tale originated from the Healing Church Hunters. Apparently, the founders of the church found a live infant crying in the corpse of a creature that watched up out of the sea."

"You think the two could be talking about the same thing?" Qrow raises an eyebrow.

"Well the two do sound extremely similar to one another." Monica answers him.

"And the third..." Gerhnam continues on to warn them about the third Nightmare. But when he does, his expression begins to frown with a look of sorrow, the feeling of tears building up in his eyes. Saya kneels down next to the old hunter. "Father Hunter, its too much to tell us what you saw, then please don't push yourself. We're already hard at work on searching of the Successor to the Moon. Once we find her, we can-"

"Its no use." Gerhnam interrupts her, trying his best to fight back the tears that are building up.

"What?"

"It's no use. Shes already...gone."

Qrow looks towards the hunters once more, not having to ask the question on his mind. "The Successor to the Moon is an individual of great power." Claire takes the liberty to explain to the Branwen. "The Successor acts as a guiding light for hunters during the hunt. A beacon. No matter how many times we face the Nightmare, we can still be easily affected by the influences of the hunt. So we need someone to help keep us on track, so we don't lose our way."

"You've heard about the legend of the Good Hunter, right?" Scarlet asks the Branwen. "Supposedly, this individual can't be affected by the hunt nor can they turn into a Grimm. What's more, they can ease the sickly spirits of people and hunters. In other words, they can calm the Grimm within them."

"So you're saying the two could be one and the same?" Qrow asks.

Scarlet shrugs. "Who knows? They probably are."

"What do you mean by shes gone Father Hunter?" Hope asks the old mentor.

"Her sense of self...is gone. All that is left...is a horrid, ugly shell." The old hunter hangs his head down in sorrow. Whispers can be heard from the crowd of hunters, wondering if what he said is true. "But we mustn't despair just yet." He lifts his head back up. "For a new Successor is among us. She will guide us through the hunt. She...is the new light of the world."

"Father Hunter" Scarlet calls out to the old hunter. "Its been years since the previous hunt. Since your been out of the dream all this time, will you still be able to host the Hunter's Dream." Gerhnam slowly brings his attention to the Vileblood. A small smile forms on his lips, remembering that she was one of the four people that freed him from his dreadful prison. In truth, Gerhnam doesn't want to host the Dream again, he doesn't want to go back. And hes glad that he can't anymore. He considers the conclusion on the previous hunt to be the greatest thing that ever happened to him. Even though he woke up to a world completely transformed from the one he is familiar with, he considers this to be the greatest years of what remains of his life.

"Sadly, I can not. The dream...places a heavy burden. And I don't think...my spirit can bear it once more." He shifts his gaze back towards the blood bag hanging on the IV stand. "Besides, my body has been living on borrowed time...since the first hunt. This Old Blood flowing into my veins...is the reason why I'm sitting in front of you hunters today..."

"The Old Blood has been keeping him alive for more than a millennia." Scarlet says with amusement in her voice. "He is definitely far much older than I am."

"...And just how old are you?" Roy finally makes his voice heard. Scarlet only gives a chuckle to the young man's question. "Its impolite to ask a woman her age."

"But..." Gerhnam's voice grabs their attention again. "Soon, very soon, that borrowed time will run out. And I too...will finally pass in peace. But before that time comes, I must fulfill...one...last...duty..." The old hunter begins to feel a sense of tiredness coming over him as he starts to nod off.

 _'Hes falling asleep again.'_ "Father Hunter. The new Successor. Where can we find her?" Saya asks the him before he falls off to his slumber.

"Don't...worry about her. Shes..in good...hands..." With those last words, Gerhnam succumbs to the beacon hand of sleep, his head tilted to the side. _'In good hand? Who is he referring to?'_ Saya thinks as she draws her attention towards the crowd. "Now that we know what is to come, we will make it our efforts to prevent it from happening. And now that we know who our enemies are, its time for us to really start hunting. This meeting is adjourned." With that being said, Saya gets Gerhnam off stage by pushing him down a ramp, and exits the building's front door. Shortly afterwards, the crowd in the building scatters, proceeding to leave as well.

"Damn" Scarlet swears, gaining Qrow's attention with the sound of frustration in her voice. "I've searched for her all these years only to find out..." The Branwen can clearly see the frown on her face.

"Searched for who?"

"The Successor, who else? She disappeared a few years after the previous hunt. The one your sister and Ozpin was involved in. It was because of her knowledge, we learned that by killing to Moon Presence we would sever the connection it made between Remnant and the Nightmare. Thus, preventing the hunt from happening again."

"Who was she?"

"A woman named Summer Rose."

Immediately, Qrow's expressions lit up the very moment said name reaches his ears. "Wait?! Did you just say Summer?!" He asks the Vileblood with a sudden look of hysteria. One that causes the queen to jump slightly with a confused expression. "How long have you been looking for her!"

"Ten years. I take it you're a close friend of hers?" Scarlet raises an eyebrow, having no idea that the Branwen was familiar the missing woman. She can see the look of hysteria on the Vileblood's face, the disturbed look in his eyes as his thoughts ramble within his mind. _'Ten years. That's exactly how long shes been missing.'_ As much as he wants find out what happened to Summer, something mentioned during the meeting comes back to his memory. "That guy, Gerhnam. He said that there is a new Successor among us. How does this thing work? Does this power pass on to someone else? If it does, then is it like the Seasonal Maidens or is it hereditary?"

"The power passes on the Successor's first born child. A female." Scarlet answers his questions with an eyebrow raised on her forehead.

"That's all I need to know Scar." The Branwen turns and takes off without another word, causing even more confusion of the Vileblood.

"Where are you off to in a hurry?" Scarlet asks him while maintaining her raise eyebrow.

"I'm gonna pay a certain someone a visit. I have an idea on where this next Successor might be."

* * *

Emerald and Mercury find themselves wearing puzzled expressions while standing in front of a giant glass window from atop a tower of a castle-like structure. Looking out through the glass window, the two stare upon the scenery that the tower provides, the scenery of a domain that looks...otherworldly. Underneath the dark clouded skies with a luminous scattered moon lays a landscape that looks...dead, voided of life. Cliffs, mountains, and trenches riddle the dark rocky wasteland. Oddly shaped tombstones, varying from regular size to abnormal, cluttered together as they cover most of the wasteland giving it an appearance of a vast graveyard. Rotted trees and tree roots bare of leaves and bark, twist and bend out of the earth in ways that seem impossible. Ways that will make one's head hurt with the incomprehensible way it had grown.

What puzzles the two adolescences the most is the creatures that inhabit this otherworldly domain. Some of these creatures are Grimm or look Grimm-like. And others... They don't even know what they are. The two hear Cinder snap her fingers, breaking their attention away from the ghastly scenery. Cinder sits at a long table with four other individuals, Raven herself and Salem's children. Hades, Aria, and Blood. The woman motions the two to take a seat before the Black Queen arrives.

The seven of them await patently and silently within a large throne room. The moonlight from outside shines through the giant glass windows, illuminating the large room. At the very end of the throne room is two staircases that lead up to a platform. At the very top, a black throne rests underneath a circular glass window that hangs just above. On each side of the throne is a cluster of life size statues that merges together, forming a pillar. With close examination, one will receive a chill of uneasiness upon seeing how extremely life-like these statues are. With the unsettling realistic face expressions of the statuses, it looks as if they are suffering... As is they are in a great deal of pain...

"You know Raven..." Cinder speaks to the Branwen, breaking the silence. "What you did earlier was rather...surprising." She refers to the Grimm incident back in the ruined city of Hashima. With her arms crossed, Raven looks over at the woman from the corner of her eye. "Would you prefer I did nothing instead? If I did nothing, the materials would've been taken, the cargo would have never made it to Yharnam, and you would've been caught."

A smirk appears on Cinder's lips as a chuckle is heard. "You have a valid point. But I doubt I would've been captured that easily."

"The Grimm isn't all that she did." Hades speaks outs from underneath his mask, resting both elbows on the table with his fingers locked together. "Your attitude towards her actions surprises me, considering that she cost you a significant amount of pawns." He refers to the White Fang as her pawns.

"Oh the White Fang? That part is true, but they're expendable. Plenty more where they came from." Cinder expresses her cold-hearted point of view of the White Fang.

"Who gives a damn about the Grimm." Aria joins in, sitting in her chair with her arms and legs crossed. From behind her mask that covers only her eyes, she sends a glare across the table towards the Branwen. "What really matters here is that she is related to Qrow Branwen, the little bird that has been pestering our mother for far too long. And just when I had him and a hunter in my web, SHE comes in and ruins everything!" Irritation can clearly be heard in Aria's tone.

 _'Shes related to that guy?!'_ Emerald and Mercury looks towards the Branwen with surprised expressions. Raven blinks in response to the woman's attitude towards her, not showing any signs of being provoked into an argument. Cinder raises an eyebrow to hearing this. "You two are related? You would've thought? Now that I think of it, your names are similar. Do you mind getting your family off my back? He is being quite the nuance."

Raven brings her gaze back to Cinder. "If hes bothering you that much, then why don't you take care of him yourself?" The Branwen replies bluntly.

"He won't be as big of a nuance as what's to come." Hades also sends a glare towards the Vileblood. "Because of her, a potential threat got awa-" At that moment, the large double doors of the throne room slowly opens, the squeaking sounds of the large door's hinges echoing throughout the room. Everyone, except one, stands up from their chairs in the presence of their Black Queen, Salem. With her hands behind her back, the witch enters the throne room of her domain, the sounds of her footsteps echoing with each step. The black gown she wears gives off a black mist that lingers behind when she walks, fading shortly afterwards.

Raven, who didn't stand up for the Black Queen, remains seated with her arms and legs still crossed. Unlike Cinder and the rest of the people that stands at the table, she didn't pledge her full allegiance to the witch. Salem lifts her left hand upon reaching the front of the long table, signaling that they may be seated. Salem faces and gazes upon her accomplices and her children that sit that the table in front of her. Her gaze falls upon a familiar face that rarely appears in her domain.

"Raven? I see that you've decided to join us this time." The witch says with a hint of surprise to the Branwen who remains silent. Looking upon all that have attend, she realizes that one more isn't present. "Where is Micajah?"

"Right here your majesty." Comes a male's voice that meets everyones ears with a honeyed tone. Drawing their attention towards the direction of the voice, they spot a middle-aged man standing with his right foot on the seat of Salem's throne and his right forearm resting on his knee. Attire consisting of a long black jacket that has white and grey trims and matching black trousers and shoes. A hooded grey and white mantle wraps around his neck as it hugs him and fingerless dark grey gloves fits firmly on his hands. The one thing that breaks his flamboyant wardrobe is the noticeably tall hexagonal iron cage that imprisons his head.

"I see that you're able to make it in person." Salem says to the man clothed in black.

"A gathering where all of my accomplices are summoned? It would be a shame to miss this. Even though I am a busy man." Creating echoing footsteps that fill the air, Micajah strolls down one of the staircases with a grin. Upon reaching the bottom of the staircase and joining his accomplices, the people seated at the table can see his face clearly now. As said before, he is middle-aged. With long, shoulder length dark brown woolly hair with a thin beard that traces his jawline and eyes of amber color, his complexion makes him nearly as pale as Salem herself but he clearly has pigments in his skin that gives him color.

"It's that freak again." Emeralds whispers to Mercury in a frown of disgust. She doesn't know the man personally and she never wants to. Being a thief herself, she can pick up if someone is keeping something obscured about themselves. And this man...is shrouded in mystery. Micajah glances in the direction of the two adolescences, giving a smile causing a chill to crawl down their spine. Salem shifts her attention back to her accomplices sitting that the table. "I have summoned you all here because the time we have yearned for is close at hand. You have traveled to the far reaches Remnant, located the Pthumerian tombs hidden underneath it's surface and retrieved the scared ingredients that we need."

"...Which I am deeply grateful to all of you for going out of your way to deliver to yours truly." Micajah expresses his appreciation towards his accomplices with his honeyed toned voice.

"Psst. Hey." Mercury whispers in a soft tone to the dark skinned girl next to him. Emerald slightly leans over to listen to what the young man has to say while keeping her eyes forward. "You've noticed while we were running around gathering that gross stuff in the jars, no one came after us? Even when that whinny little bitch Roman screws up with the White Fang, no one seems to notices. Like those weapons we stole for the White Fang. You'd think Atlas would at least put up a fuss and this would be all over the news."

"You mustn't worry about the kingdoms or the media. I have that handled." Micajah's voice catches the teens by surprise. Both of them wearing shocked expressions from the fact that he somehow overheard them. "As long as I do my part. You and everyone else can do as you please without drawing any attention."

 _'His part?'_ Emerald repeats in her thoughts.

"What should we do about the hunters?" Cinder speaks their enemy's name into the air. "Somehow they were able to locate where we were holding the materials. As long as they are still around, they will continue to interfere with us."

"What we CAN do is find out where they're hiding and wipe them out like we did with the Silver-Eyes." Aria gives her accomplice's question her own response. "But none of us know where they are hiding. Well, ONE of us do." She shifts her gaze towards Raven's direction.

In return, the Branwen answers with a gaze of her own towards the woman as well. "I take it that you've forgotten the scenario with the Silver-Eyed Hunters. Due to their power having a fatal effect on the Grimm, you, along with Hades and Blood, were greatly affected by their power and barely made it through. Even though the Cursed Hunters don't possess the same power as the Silver-Eyes, I don't recommend taking the fight to their front door. You've kicked the hornet's nest once and got away. Don't expect yourself to be so lucky the next time."

"Hm. Well said Miss Branwen." Micajah gives the Vileblood his compliment on her words. Salem shifts her gaze towards the man standing next to her at the corner of her eye, seeing a slight smirk that had formed on his pale face.

"Mother" Hades calls to Salem with his deep tone, attracting the attention of her and his accomplices. "We have a problem that is much bigger than the hunters. During the crisis at Hashima, I've tailed a girl who reeked of a strong moonlit scent. She later turned out to have silver eyes."

"Silver eyes you say?" Micajah raises an eyebrow of peaked curiosity. Being very familiar and knowledgeable of the Silver-Eyed Hunters. "Pardon me if I'm being rude for asking this..." He shifts his attention to Salem with politeness in his tone. "...But didn't you resolve the situation with the Silver-eyes?"

The Black Queen answers his question with silence. Ignoring him while keeping her attention on her spawn. "So one managed to slip through."

"But the fact that the girl is a silver-eye isn't what makes her a threat. I've witnessed her engulf an entire area in a ruby light, completely eradicating a pack of Grimm that surrounded her. Knowing what that light belongs to, I strongly believe that she is the new Successor to the Moon."

"Come again? A new Successor?" Just the mentioning of this causes a look of immense excitement to spread across Micajah's face. "Say your majesty. Mind if I take this one? The fact about the girl being a silver-eye peaked my interest for a potential...test subject. But hearing that she is the next Successor gives me the desire to scream at this castle's highest point. You've already had your way with the previous Successor. It's only fair if I get this one. I like to meet her. Get to know her. And show her how much we have in _common_."

"Very well. Do with her as you please." The witch tells the man, not caring what he does with the girl mentioned. A gratified smile forms and grows on Micajah lips.

"Mother. We can't entrust a situation like this to someone like him." Hades objects the motion Micajah had suggested. "Let us handle the girl. We'll hunt her down so she won't be of any future trouble for you."

"A new Successor huh?" Aria joins onto the topic while leaning back in her seat. "I remember the trouble we went through to catch the last one. Hell, we even wiped out the Silver-Eyes so no more would show up."

"Who is this 'Successor'? I was never informed anything about this." Cinder makes her confusion known to her accomplices.

"I am in the same boat as well." Raven also expresses her confusion with her arms still crossed. "Having fought the previous Successor once before, all I know is that the individual possesses great power and strength. As for where they draw their power from and their origins, I am in the dark."

"If this girl is going to be a potential threat, I want to at least know what puts her in that position." Cinder adds in with Raven giving a concurring nod. "Same here."

"This is what I like about you two in particular." Micajah beams a grin towards the two women. "Whenever there is something that is not to your knowledge, you always made it your efforts to ground yourself in and learn it. Whether you know it or not, you two quite similar to get each other." This causes the two women to glance at each other before shifting their gaze back to the man. "Allow me to educate you on the tale of the Successor. Lucky for you two, among all the legends and fairy tales that fill Remnant, this one in particular...is my personal favorite. Now. This dates back over a millennia ago, long before the first hunt. Long before Remnant was shaped into what it is now." Micajah leaves Salem's side as he casually strolls around the long table while telling this story.

"Back before the Silver-Eyes gained their extraordinary powers and made themselves hunters, they were...just ordinary people. A little hard to believe, isn't it? The same as it is now, Remnant was plagued with the malignant scourge of Grimm. Bear in mind that this was a time period where there were no walls to protect the people from the bloodthirsty beasts. Also...there were no hunters. There were these...certain people. Villagers to be precise. These villagers worshiped a god. A Great One. Living in a unforgiving world plagued with beasts that threatens to snuff them out, they prayed to their god. Pleading for protection from the beasts. This particular god, having love and sympathy for it's people, appears before them in the presence of a full moon. Not knowing the definite name of their god, it's worshipers called it...the Moon Presence. This divine being blessed the people with a gift. Extraordinary powers that allows them to strike down the beasts that threaten them. But...that wasn't the only gift the Presence left them with. Every Great One loses it's child, therefore yearns for a surrogate to bear it. A lucky, healthy female from the Silver-Eyes was impregnated by the Moon Presence, blessing her womb with a child..."

"When will this creep ever shut up?" Emerald rolls her eyes with a mutter, crossing her arms as she slouches in her seat. Clearly getting annoyed at how long winded the man can be.

"...And that!" Micajah abruptly slams both hands on the table as he jumps in between Emerald and Mercury. Startled, Emerald jumps out of her slouch position as she quickly leans away from the man. A feeling of discomfort tackles the dark-skinned adolescent, seeing a smirk grow on the man's face underneath his hexagonal cage. "...Is how the first Successor was born. I'm sorry. Did I frighten you?"

"Um. Have you ever heard of personal space?" The thief shoots the man a frown with her tongue laced with a harsh edge.

"My apologizes. I was just curious if I had your undivided attention." Micajah responds with a chuckle before resuming his story telling. "The Silver-Eyes saw the Successor to the Moon as a living blessing from their generous and gracious god. Not only does this child embodies the power of their god, the child even had the ability to make contact with the nameless Presence and supposedly other Great Ones. A few years after they received their gift, stories of a certain man, wielding a strange weapon that converts from a curved looking blade to a scythe, roaming the land hunting fearsome beasts began to spread far and wide..."

"Gerhnam, The First Hunter" Raven speaks the name of said man.

"Precisely Ms. Branwen. The actions of this man inspired the Silver-Eyes to use their god given gifts for a...greater cause. And that is how they became known as the Silver-Eyed Hunters. Three decades later, the very first hunt began. And thats when the Successor proved to be much more than a girl who can talk to gods. And that my friends..." The man spreads his arms out after returning to the front of the table where he previously stood, at Salem's side. "...Is the legend about the Successor to the Moon. And the Silver-Eyes in addition. Now the story of the first hunt is another personal favorite of mine, but that...is a story for another time."

Seeing that Micajah has finally ceased his rambling, Salem takes charge of the meeting once again. "Micajah. As I said before, do as you please with the girl. She is of no threat to us. Raven, since you know where the hunters are located, I'm leaving it to you to retrieve their portion of the Old Blood."

"Hm" The Vileblood gives her response to her new orders.

"As for you Cinder, you will resume your search on your previous assignment."

"Of course" Cinder submits to the witch's words.

"And for you three..." The witch shifts her attention to her children. "...Will remain here with me. There are some plans I have in mind."

"Yes mother." Aria and Hades obediently responds in union while Blood just bows their head.

"This meeting is adjourned, you're all dismissed. Micajah, you remain here." An eyebrow raises on the man's forehead from the Black Queen's demand, curious of what she may want. As everyone seated at the long table stands up and moves to exit the throne room for their departure, Micajah stops one of them.

"By the way, Cinder..." He calls to the woman. Stopping just at the door, Cinder brings her attention to the man. "You've gone out of your way to do a huge favor for me. So in return, I've decided to do a favor for you."

"A favor?" An eyebrow raises on Cinder's forehead. Micajah reaches his hand into one of the pockets of his black jacket and draws out a scroll of his own. Watching him tap his finger on the screen of the handheld device, Cinder's own scroll gives off a notifying sound. Checking her handheld device, she sees what looks to be coordinates on it's screen. "These are coordinates leading to a faithful follower of mine in Mistral." Micajah tells her with his honeyed tone voice. "Meet them at this location. I believe they have something that will be of use to you. I say it's time you claimed what is rightfully yours. Don't you think?" Cinder lifts her gaze from her scroll, seeing a beaming grin from the man. "Consider this as my token of appreciation. Oh. And as for the tunnels, I'll handle their construction. You can tell the White Fang that they can take a _breather_."

Cinder's gazes shifts from the man to the Black Queen, who gives her a nod to trust his words. Receiving the nod, the young woman turns to make her departure for her given destination. "Let's go" She commands her adolescent accomplices that follow suit. The large double door closes behind the trio as they exit, leaving Salem and Micajah alone in the throne room. Salem walks off from Micajah's side. Giving off a lingering black mist from her black gown as she makes her way towards one of the giant glass windows.

"Is there something on your mind fair queen?"

"I know it was you who lead the hunters to their location." Salem cuts straight to the point. "For someone who holds a grudge against humanity, you sure act mild-mannered about it."

A chuckle slips out from Micajah's lips. "You're right. I was taken from my mother at an early age, so I never knew her personally. That was until...I discovered a piece of her. So you're right about my actions. I should be more aggressive. But you see... To me...revenge is like a bowl of ice cream. Its cold...but also sweet. And I'm going to savor... Every. Last. Moment. Until its all gone. So in the mean time, why not have a little entertainment?"

"I see. Interesting." Salem gazes upon the dark clouded sky of her domain, an amused smirk growing on her lips. " _Revelation_ is close at hand. The time where Remnant's past comes back to haunt them."

"Oh yes. Remnant is a world that is forever changing." Micajah leans against the edge of the table as he agrees. "Always trying to rewrite it's wrong doings. But sadly, they are too blind to see that they can't let go of their old roots. Atlas is by far my favorite among all the kingdoms. That entire nation was built at the hands of remnants of the Healing Church. They train their own huntsmen and huntresses. May as well call them their modern day Healing Church Hunters. Because of the Schnee Dust Company, Atlas controls all matters of Dust. Just like how the Healing Church controlled all matters of blood. The nation clearly inherits the ambitious and self-righteous aspects of the church. And lastly, which I find the most amusing, is their wears. All of them are clothed in white. Symbolizing themselves as a nation of purity, just like the church." Micajah relates the aspects of both Atlas and the Healing Church as if he knows the two like the back of his hand. "It's a sad fact. No matter how much the world changes, it still can't escape it's sins. Speaking of old roots. That Vileblood, Raven is her name? Does she know about her origins?" The man switches the subject to Raven.

"No. And whether she does or not doesn't concern me." Salem gives her answer with a blunt tone. "As long as she fulfills the assignments I give her, she is free to do as she pleases. Like with the rest of them."

Micajah's thoughts begins to wander as his mind focuses on the Branwen. _'She has also been a big help. It wouldn't be fair if I didn't do a favor for her as well.'_

"As for the ritual..." The witch's voice pulls the man out of his wondering thoughts. "How is it's progression?"

"Oh its coming along well. Despite only having two out of four portions of the Old Blood, I'm beckoning _it_ as we say. " Micajah proudly announces his progress to the witch. Salem looks over her shoulder with a raised eyebrow of surprise. "You don't have all that you require, but you're able to make this much progress? You never cease to surprise me Micajah."

"But..." Micajah continues, the expression of surprise disappearing from the witch's colorless face. "There is a _slight_ problem."

"How _slight_?" Given by her change of tone, this is clearly something she doesn't like to hear.

"I assure you that it is being beckoned, but something is different. Its not the same as it should be. It seems as if something is...holding it back, preventing it from being lured any further. Its needs an...extra push."

"We've come too far to run into any drawbacks Micajah. So I trust that you'll find what this extra _push_ is."

"But of course your majesty." The man answers with formality. "Besides, I already have a strong idea of what could be the problem. And with that said my fair queen, I bid you farewell. The next time we meet...will be during revelation." With those words spoken, the man gets off the table he was leaning on and processes to make his departure, his echoing footsteps heading straight for the large double doors.

"Very well" Salem reverts her gaze back to the otherworldly scenery of her domain through the giant glass window. "But one more question..." She stops the man right before he exits the throne room. "You intend to walk among the people without any acts of caution. Which makes me wonder how you're not drawing any attention to yourself with _that_." The witch mentions the tall hexagonal iron cage that sits on Micajah's shoulders.

"Oh? This old thing?" The man points to the cage that imprisons his head. "I just simply hide it from plain sight." As a demonstration, the man snaps his fingers causing the cage around his head to disappear as if it were a mirage. In his right hand appears a black fashionable cap at matches his flamboyant wardrobe. "See? As if it were never there." He places the cap on his head while beaming the witch a grin. "We should finish preparing ourselves for the moment of truth. Soon Remnant will be face-to-face with it's worst nightmares. It'll be just like the first hunt. Right...Ragnarok? Or do you prefer to be called Salem now?" Micajah beams another smile at the queen before departing the throne room. Watching the man walk through the door at the corner of her eye, a chuckle escapes Salem's lips joined with a smirk.

* * *

Raven walks alone through one of the many colossal size corridors of Salem's dark palace. Moonlight shines through the glass windows of the corridor, dimly lighting her way through the darkness along with the rows of burning torches on the walls and the chandeliers that hang low from overhead. The Branwen is never one to hang around the dark palace. Hell, she rarely attends the assemblies and prefers her assignments to be relayed to her. So the moment Salem dismissed the meeting, the Vileblood wasted no time to leave for her departure. One may think that the sinister, dark atmosphere that the palace presents may be the reason why she avoids this place. But for Raven... That isn't the case.

As she continues to make her way for her departure, a strange pungent stench catches the attention of her acute sense of smell. She pauses in her tracks as she attempts to identify what this unknown stench could be. This is unlike anything she has smelled before. She can't make out what this mysterious odor is, but she knows that it smells foul and unclean. The closest thing she can relate this pungent smell to...is the stench of blood.

"Excuse me. Raven Branwen, is it?" A polite, honeyed male voice meets her ears. A set of echoing footsteps can be heard approaching behind her from a distance as the odor gets stronger. On instinct, she casually places her left hand on the hilt on her Chikage which rests on the left side of her waist. Drawing her attention toward the source of the footsteps, she is greeted with a familiar face approaching. Micajah. "You're quite the fast walker. I thought I was never going to catch up to you."

"What do you want?" The Branwen ask bluntly. The stench she smelled earlier is even stronger now, enough to make her nose hairs burn. Is it coming from the man? Now that she thinks about it. She remembers smelling this very same stench during the meeting. Despite it's foul smell, no one seemed the react to or even acknowledge the odor. As if they couldn't smell it. Thats when she realizes that this isn't like body odor. She realizes that this smell is similar to the distinct moon frequent scent that she and the hunters gives off, but of the total opposite.

Placing his right hand on top of the black cap which he wears on his head, Micajah puts on a frown showing that he is hurt by her response. "Aw. Why do you have to be so cold? I just want to exchange a few words."

"You just did. Now I'm gone." The Vileblood answers with another cold reply before proceeding on her way. Catching a glimpses of Raven resting her hand on the hilt of her Chikage, Micajah gives a small chuckle. "I know the reason why you treat your accomplices the way you do." He speaks out, stopping the Branwen in her tracks once again. "You don't trust them. And I can clearly see that you don't trust me. I don't blame you. Even I wouldn't trust someone like myself." He says with a smirk.

Her left hand still resting on the hilt of her Chikage, Raven looks at the man from the corner of her eye. "Trust can be easily betrayed. Which is why its best not to trust someone too much. The devil use to be an angel."

"Oooh? So you live by that quote? That also happens to be one of my personal favorites." Micajah raises an eyebrow of amusement. "Well it so happens that I'm not here to gain your trust. Just merely here to provide a favor."

"A favor?" An eyebrow raises on the Branwen's forehead.

"Yes. My token of appreciation for your hard work." Micajah reaches his left hand underneath his black jacket, causing Raven to create a firm grip on her Chikage as she watches him. The man draws out an old red book from underneath his jacket and holds it out for the Branwen to take.

"A book...?" Raven maintains her raises eyebrow.

"Have you ever stopped and wondered about yourself? Why you're able to do certain unexplained things? Or why you're body acts the way it does during certain occasions? This book contains the answers to all of those questions. This book is yours to keep. What you do with it afterwards is up to you."

Raven stares at the book with a questioning gazes. These thoughts about herself have plagued her mind for the longest. Does this old book really have the answers to her questions? What is in the book anyway? Tightening her grip on the hilt of her Chikage, she cautiously reaches out for the red book with her right hand. Grabbing the book, she takes it from Micajah's hand. The hardcover slipping from his fingertips. She gazes at the old book. The red, hard leather cover of the book looks to be a little worn and a golden insignia of two unknown creatures rests in the center of the cover.

"By the way…" Raven's attention is regained by Micajah's honeyed tone voice. "It's true that you were once trained by Scarlet Akeldama Cainhurst, right?"

"What does she have anything to do with this?" Raven replies with another blunt answer. Instead of giving an answer, Micajah just smiles with his hand resting on his black matching cap as he turns to go about his way. "Oh its nothing, I was just asking is all. Enjoy your new book."

* * *

 _'_ _The pain stopped? Did it actually work?'_ These are the first thoughts that come to Blake's mind after feeling the sharp pain in her arm fade away. Wondering if calming herself down actually stopped her Grimm from feeding off of her emotions. Currently wandering aimlessly through the lit up streets of a bustling town that is not far from Beacon, she makes it her effort to avoid any interaction with the chatting people that swarm around her.

Now that her problem has been resolved, for now. Her thoughts starts to go back to what happened at the library earlier. She wonders what will happen now. Now that the cat is out of the bag and her friends now know that she is a fanus, she worries how they will think of her. The feeling of anxiety starts to grow the more these thoughts remain of her mind. The fanus shakes her head vigorously in an attempt to block these thoughts out of her mind. _'Don't start thinking about that. You'll just get_ _ **it**_ _started again.'_ She mentally warns herself of her…recently discovered resident.

"HEY!" A man's voice sudden fills the air with an anger, echoing scream. The outraged voice pulls Blake out of her labyrinth of thoughts for her to realize that she is now by a harbor. Drawing her gaze towards the direction of the voice, she sees a cargo ship that is in chaos. Crew members of the ship can be seen scrambling around chasing young fanuses that jump off their ship.

"What?! There is more of them!"

"Get back here you damn rodents!"

"It's like a fucking infestation!"

The elusive young fanuses dodge and weaves the crew members with their impressive animal like agility as they run for freedom. One fanus in particular, leaps from head to head of the crew members as if they are a child on hopping stones. The elusive fanus leaps off the last crew member's head and jumps onto a light pole. Hanging upside down after catching the pole with their tail, young fanus laughs as their taunt their pursuers. "Hahaha! Man, I hate to tell you! But you guys are pretty slow!" The young fanus laughs as they point that the crewmen.

Among the crowd, Blake looks at the male fanus that clearly seems to be having the time of their life. Much like his behavior, his wardrobe is of casual type consisting of an unzipped white collared jacket that exposes his toned upper body, blue cargo pants that appear to be well-worn, dark red bracers over black fingerless gloves, and well-worn black and red sneaks on his feet. With a tanned skin complexion and hazy blue eyes, his short light blond spiky hair seems to give off a sun-like glow due to the reflection of the light pole he hangs on. This trouble making, fun-loving young fanus is none other than Sun Wukong.

"You fucking monkey!" One the crew members throws a banana at the fanus who catches the fruit and gives a monkey impression just for kicks. With that action, Sun drops from the light pole and sprints off the instant he lands on the wooden docks. "Get back here you damn stowaway!" The crewmen chases after him.

"You know! Maybe you guys would be a bit faster if you work out more and lay off the cheeseburgers! Seriously! The amount of burgers you guys eat a day is insane!" Sun taunts his pursers as he bolts through the crowd of spectators. As the love-loving fanus speeds his way through, he glances over to Blake as he passes by, giving a wink. While the mischievous fanus is distracted, a muscular buffed arm sticks out from the crowd of onlookers and clothesline the fleeing fanus, causing him to flip with a shout and falls hard on his back.

"Ugh" Disoriented, the fanus lays on the asphalt road trying to figure out what just happened, grimacing from his rough landing. The person who clotheslined him emerged from the sea of people, revealing to be a muscular built man. It isn't long until the rest of the crewmen catches up and surrounds the stowaway. Clearly seeing an possible ugly outcome of the situation, the crowd starts to thin as some of the spectators leave the scene. Blake being one of them. But little did she know, these men weren't just planning on roughing the young fanus up.

"Hehe. So uh...guys." Sun gives a nervous laugh. "The cheeseburger joke. Pretty funny right?"

"Yeah, funny joke. It was a fucking doozy." One of the men responds with a cold glare, gripping an crowbar in his left hand. Catching a glimpse of the crowbars and chains in the anger mens possession, Sun swallows. _'Oh boy. Things are gonna get ugly.'_ He thinks while slowly reaching for one his gun-chucks on his side.

"Wait a minute. Why do we need these? I thought we were just gonna teach him a lesson?" One of the men asks the reason why they have these potentially deadly objects.

"Yeah we are going to teach him a lesson. After we break both of his legs so he can't run, we're gonna string him up with the leash he deserves. Let this animal be an example for the rest of them." Another one answers holding a chain and crowbar in his hands, clearly having intentions that can be detrimental to Sun's health. Due to her fanus heritage granting her an acute sense of hearing, Blake clinches her teeth in outrage after overhearing that specific name she detest. Without a second thought, she turns around and forces her way through the incoming flow of people.

"What did you just call him?!" Blake shouts furiously at the top of her lungs as she pushes people out of her way, quickly making herself the center of attention. Now out in the open, all eyes are fixed on the infuriated fanus that walks towards the armed group of men with haste. "What the hell did you just call him?!" She shouts again with venomous rage. She can feel a sensation from within. Her Grimm is feeding off her rage, but right now she didn't care. She is sick of the racial remarks people constantly makes towards her people. She is tired of people treating them like dirt because of their heritage, because they are different from them. Whoever this fanus is, he may be a stowaway, but they have no right to take a rascal approach towards him. Shes sick of it all.

"Another one of these animals?"

"I'll handle this one." One of the crewmen tells the group while walking towards the approaching fanus. "If you know what good for you kitty-cat, you'll stay out of this before us- ARGHHHH!" The man falls to his knee, screaming in pain from the kick in the grown he received from Blake. The eyes of the crowd widen with shock while others grimace after seeing the blow below the belt. Some of the spectators in the crowd had looks of excitement and surprise as they record the event on their scrolls.

"Ouch..." Now sitting on the ground, Sun's expressions winces from the uncomfortable scene.

Blake grabs the man's collar with her left hand and balls up a tight fist with her right as she lifts it up. "How about I string you up like the animal YOU are!" Blake glares into the man's eyes, peering deep into the depths of his soul.

"Let him go!" Comes an demanding voice that attracts Blake's attention. The group of men confronts the fanus, bearing their crowbars and chains. "Let him go or we'll make you feel what its like to be roadkill!" Blake glares at the men, their threatening body languages not phasing her in the slightest. At that very moment, the sudden sharp pains return, acting as sharp needles sticking into her right arm. Blake grimace from the sharp pain as she feels it beginning to spread throughout her body. Dropping the suffering man, Blake hastily flees the scene with the expression of being in excruciating pain.

"Who...was she?" Sun asks himself while he watches the cat fanus dash through the crowd of onlookers, disappearing from sight. _'The look on her face... It looked like she was in pain.'_ The monkey fanus's thoughts begin to wonder about this mysterious fanus girl that stood up for him. Or that least seemed like it.

After checking on the well-being of their fellow crewmen, the group of men turn their attention back towards the stowaway they were about to deal with only to find an empty space. "What the- Hes gone!"

"Did anyone see where that damn animal went?!"

Squatting down at the rooftop of a nearby building, Sun watches his adversaries scramble in a attempt to find him. "Phew! That was a close one." He sighs in relief, having used the distraction as a means for his escape. Looking out towards the rest of the lit up town, his mind goes back to the cat fanus moments before. "Which way did she go?"

 **AN: Thanks for reading guys. I will try to have chapter 17 posted before the end of next week. This is Chronicles calling this chapter a wrap!**


	17. Passing the Torch

**AN: Hey guys. I'm back with chapter 17. Right now I'm at the airport waiting to board my flight for basic training. While waiting, I got this small amount of free time to post this chapter. I hope you guys enjoy this from beginning to end.**

* * *

"Sooo... Does anyone know who is this _special_ person we're suppose to meet all the way out here?" Mercury pops the question to his female accomplices while slouched down in the passenger seat he is in with his feet propped up on the arm of another seat that is next to him. The smokey haired adolescent gazes out the window of the airship they've boarded on. The private aircraft flying quietly across the night skies of Mistral while providing a smooth travel for it's passengers.

Cinder sits in her own seat with her legs cross while reviewing the coordinates Micajah had sent to her scroll. "The person of interest is supposedly a follower of Micajah. Once we've receive what they have for us, we'll resume our hunt for the Fall Maiden."

"Follower huh?" Mercury raises an eyebrow. "What is he? Some sort of religious leader or something?"

"To my knowledge, he is considered a cult hero to his devoted followers. So yes, you can say that he is a religious leader. But what god they supposedly worship is uncertain." Cinder answers without looking up from her handheld device.

"Cinder, I don't think we should trust that guy. Hes...shady." Emerald, sitting in her own seat, expresses her personal opinion of Micajah. "Every time I'm around that guy, I just feel uneasy."

"Tell me about it." Mercury agrees with the dark skinned girl. "If that freaky cage he wears wasn't enough, his personality and vibe alone gives me the creeps." Cinder sees clear as day why the adolescences don't think kindly of the mysterious man.

"I don't blame you for the way you feel toward Micajah. He is a rather mysterious character. And like with any mysterious character, we must be careful not to trust him too much. There is a saying: The devil use to be an angel." Cinder tells her young accomplices. "Right now, we're taking a chance by taking the devil's hand and accepting what he offers us."

"And what if by chance it turns out to be a trick?" Emerald speaks the possible outcome from a shady character like Micajah. Cinder responds with a small chuckle escaping her lips. "You should know by now that I always have a backup plan, especially when dealing with the hands of the likes of him. Which goes without saying, I see Micajah as a reliable stranger rather than a trusted ally."

"We are now making our arrival at Haven Academy." Announces the pilot's voice on the intercom. "Prepare to disembark." Looking through her own window, Emerald spots numerous lights in the distance that acts as beacons in the growing the night. As the aircraft travels closer to the beckoning lights, buildings begin to appears from within the shadows. Large buildings that appear to have an eastern Asian architecture huddle together, forming a city underneath the aircraft as it flies overhead. After making a landing at a loading dock, Cinder and her young accomplices exits the aircraft.

Eyes surveying the dark dorks and echoing footsteps filling the cool night air, Cinder quickly takes notices that their location is completely voided of people. Not a living soul in sight. The young woman's gaze fall upon a person in the distance that appears to be wearing a brown cloak that covers their face. Cinder snaps her fingers, drawing the adolescence's attention towards the mysterious individual as the trio and the stranger approach each other.

"You much be the _acquaintances_ my shepherd has informed me about." The stranger speaks in a deep masculine voice.

Cinder casually places a hand on her hip. "I take it that you're the devoted follower I'm suppose to meet. I'm told that you have something that may be of use to me." The young woman cuts straight to business.

"Indeed I do." The cloaked man replies before drawing his scroll from under his cloak. "I'm sending this information to you now." He tells her as he operates his handheld device. Receiving a notification on her scroll shortly afterwards, she checks her handheld device only to make a eyebrow raising discovery. "This is..." She begins to scroll through the newly received information.

"All the information needed to find the Fall Maiden. Right down to pinpointing her exact location." The cloaked man tell the young woman.

A visible smile can be seen on Cinder's lips as she continues to scroll through the data. "I see that you gave me a bit more than that. I'm guessing that this is also part of his generosity?"

"My colleagues and I are very thorough when it comes to doing our shepherd's work. The Vytal festival is drawing near. That should be a perfect time for you to act." With those words, the man turns to take his leave. "Our business is done here. I'll take my leave before someone sees me."

"And we'll do the same." Cinder replies with her own parting words as she turns to make her departure.

"I guess we made the right choice trusting that cage wearing freak." Emerald comments as the trio begins to make their way back to the airship. The cloaked man, however, overhears her comment about Micajah and becomes infuriated.

"Watch your tongue you arrogant child!" He gives an outraged outburst towards the thief, slightly startling both Emerald and Mercury. "Its because of our shepherd that we have the kingdoms turn a blind eye to you and the White Fang! Know your place!"

"Know my place?!" Emerald returns fire with the same amount of rage. "Its not my fault that this guy you worship or follow or whatever looks like a-"

"Emerald..." Cinder interrupts the dark skinned girl. "Don't allow yourself to get worked up over something so...petty. And by the way..." She shifts her attention towards the cloaked man. "When you mentioned the kingdoms turning a blind eye, you said 'we'. What did you mean by that?"

"The Council. Which I hold a seat in." The man answers Cinder's question while removing his hood, revealing to be of middle aged. "And it's not just me. There are others in the council that follows our shepherd."

Mercury's expression lit with surprise from this reveal. "Wait a minute? You're one of those old geezers?"

"That's what he meant by ' _his part'_..." Emerald remembers Micajah's words from the meeting hours ago. "That creepy son of a bitch is pulling the council's strings!"

"I'm not going to tell you again to watch your tongue child." The man gives the thief another verbal warning in a threatening tone. "I've wasted enough time here. If someone sees me talking to you, it'll create unwanted trouble."

"Of course. We'll pretend we never had this conversation." Cinder tells the man with her parting words. The trio and the man turn their backs to one another and went about their separate ways. "Corruption within the council." An amused chuckle is heard as it escapes Cinder's lips. "I knew Micajah has connections. I never would've thought they run this deep. A lot deeper than mines in fact."

"You mean you didn't know about this?" Mercury asks the young woman.

"Micajah keeps our activities hidden from public eye. Allowing us to focus on what needs to be done. But I never knew that he has influenced members of the council." Cinder's usual grin of amusement appears on her lips. "Now it all makes sense. It seems to me that the kingdoms are on our side. Whether they know it or not."

* * *

Traveling through town like a monkey in the jungle, Sun free runs from rooftop to rooftop of the town. With his gifted agility, he executes long distance jumps to cross the gaps between buildings. He has been using this method of travel for several minutes now in hopes of locating the runaway cat. But so far, he hasn't had any luck. Coming to a stop that the edge of a rooftop, the monkey fanus scans the streets down below only to see the same picture as before, a bustling crowd of people.

"Man, she's fast." Sun let's out a breath of slight exhaustion from the search. His thoughts once again return to the situation with the sailors from earlier. He doesn't know who the cat fanus was, but the expression of discomfort on her face as she fled the scene naturally made him concerned about her. Did the sailor she confronted hurt her but no one saw it? Or was it something else? At that moment, a loud noise that sounded like a trash can being knocked over reaches Sun's ears, drawing his attention to the right side of the building he stands on. Making his way over to the side where the noise came from, he gazes over the edge to see someone staggering through the dark alley. At first he thinks it's just a drunk that staggered off from the crowd. But after seeing the staggering person collapse against the brick wall as if being injured, this make him have second thoughts.

"Dammit... It's not stopping... Why is it not stopping?!" Blake grimaces through her hard clinched teeth. The sharp pain that torments her begins to get worst as it grows. Changing from thousand needles that prick all over her body to fangs that dig into her skin. She remains leaning against the cold brick wall. Tears of misery and agony strings her eyes and rolls down her cheeks. Terrified by the fact that she can do nothing as she is helplessly attacked by the enemy within. The unbearable feeling of her Grimm's unseen fangs sinking into her body.

With her back pressed against the wall, she stares up that the moonlit sky. Praying to whatever god is watching to deliver her from this suffering she didn't ask for. Even though she isn't religious. Just then, a sudden noise reaches her ears, the sound of a empty can being kicked. Immediately being put on alert, Blake swiftly draws the gun of Gambol Shroud. "Who's there?!" She shouts with a forceful tone as she hold the gun firmly in her grip, finger on the trigger.

"Whoa! Don't shoot! Don't shoot!" Sun shouts while appearing out of the shadows of the alley with his hands raised high above his head.

"You're that stowaway..." Blake lowers her gun after recognizing the fanus. Another jolt of pain rushes through her body, making her grimace once more. "What do you want!" She yells that the monkey fanus.

"I wanted to say thanks for helping me out back there. Hey, are you okay?"

"What's it to you?!" Blake latches out with a harsh tongue. She doesn't mean to act ill towards the person who is trying to show their gratitude. But the pain she is feeling at the moment is excruciating and she wants to be left alone. At that moment, she begins to feel a cough well up in her throat, one that is fighting to come out. The fanus breaks out into a sever, uncontrollable coughing fit. She collapses to her knees, hilling over with both hands covering her mouth as these nasty coughs continue.

"Hey!" Sun rushes to Blake's side with frantic haste. He kneels down next to her without a clue on what to do.

"My...chest..." Blake manages to speak. Her words mingling with the nasty coughs as she clinches her chest in pain with her left hand. "It...hurts... It hurts..." In the midst of her painful coughs, the fanus coughs up a pitch black substance into her right hand that she used to cover her mouth.

"What is that? Are you coughing up blood?" Sun stares at the black substance, which is clearly darker than blood. "Come on. I'm getting you to a hospital." The monkey fanus throws Blake's left arm over his shoulder as he proceeds to help her to her feet.

"Please..." Blake whispers through her suffering. Her Grimm's vicious attack not ceasing. "Stop already... Just stop...please. What did I ever do to deserve this?" Tears of her agony still stringing her eyes as they overflow.

 _'Stop what?'_ Sun overheard her suffering whispers. Shoving that thought out of his mind, he refocuses on getting her the help she needs.

* * *

Ozpin exits the elevator that delivers him to his office at the very top of Beacon's clocktower. The elevator doors silently slide close behind him as he walk across the glass floor of the office, the giant rotating gears of the clock lurking underneath the surface. Giant gears also rotating above the office, casting rotating shadows on the glass floor. Setting his cane against his deck, the headmaster let's out a small sigh as he sits in his chair. A sense of relief washes over him now that he has safely returned from the council assembly he had attended.

Just as he gets settled in to relax, a green light flashes on his desk indicating that he is receiving an incoming call. Sitting up right in the chair, he presses a button next to the flashing green light to answer the call. A hologram screen appears in front of Ozpin's desk, displaying the image of one of his colleagues, James Ironwood.

"Oz. It's good to see that you've returned safely to Beacon." The general acknowledges that the headmaster is still in good health. Being members of the council, the both of them, they are aware of the potential dangers of leaving the protection of their respected kingdoms.

"And it's good to see that you've returned safely to Atlas as well James." Ozpin replies with the same acknowledgement for the general's well-being. "Once again I appreciate the escort you've went out of your way to provide for me."

"Yes..." James says with a slight sigh. "Given the recent _situation_ with our developing weapons, I wasn't able to provide better protection with only foot soldiers. But I did send one of my best to lead the escort. Which...I also want to apologize for any trouble Arktis may have caused you."

Ozpin rears back in his chair with his fingers interlocked, remembering he short time with the Schnee. "Her behavior and actions are rather... _surprising_...for a member of the Schnee family. But all in all, she performed her duty well."

"Well that's a relief to hear." James let's out a breath of relief upon hearing those words, knowing how... _unpredictable_ Arktis can be at times. "Oz. Before we get into the reason why we arranged this conversation, I would like to introduce you to a close friend of mine that will join us." Right on que, a second hologram screen appears next to Jame's, revealing a white haired man who appears to be touched with age. "Ozpin, this is Albert. You may remember him from the council meeting." The general introduces the man.

"Ah yes. One of the members that represents Atlas." Ozpin remember seeing the man's face a few times.

"It is a pleasure to speak with you Professor Ozpin." The man named Albert greets the headmaster.

Ozpins answers with a nod. "It is an pleasure to speak with you as well Albert. Since you're going to be a part of this, I take that you've also noticed what James and myself have."

"Yes. What the council has done today has left me in shock. I'm starting to believe that the council is losing sight of what these meetings are meant for." Albert speaks of the recent council assembly. His close friend, James, answers with an nod of agreement. "I agree. It's not like the council to overlook a potential problem. From the spreading illness to the worldwide disappearances, they're passing it off as if it's an common occurrence."

"I think we should be more concerned about some of it's members. Or should I say the majority." Ozpin take the conversation into a new direction. "Have you noticed that something felt amiss during the meeting?"

"I have. I couldn't shake the feeling that some of the members seemed...suspicious." James admits his suspicions of the other members.

"May I add that Chancellor Izuna's rare appearance to the meeting didn't make things any better." Albert speaks the name of the leader of their kingdom who rarely attends the assemblies and usually has someone attend in his absents.

"I'll admit, Albert, that the Chancellor's choices can be rather...baffling. But we can't deny that time after time those choices always end with a good outcome for our nation." James tell the man. "But recently, a stash of military weapons that were still in the prototype stage was stolen from one of our bases. The chancellor told me not to ' _waste'_ my time over prototypes. He is the commander-in- chief of the Atlas military. And as a general, I receive direct orders from him, therefore I can't speak against them. BUT as a member of the council, I must think about the well-being of the people of our nation. I not one to disobey orders, but I couldn't just sit around with the knowledge that our weapons was stolen from under our noses. So, I've tasked Winter and Arktis to investigate the matter."

"Any luck on their search?" Ozpin asks the general only to receive a shake from the general's head. "Unfortunately no. Which I'm hoping if Qrow came across anything regarding the situation."

"I have yet to get in contact with him. But if he has, I'll be sure to inform you." Opzin tells the general. "As for the council, I suggest that we keep our distance from the other members. I have the feeling that something is floating about in the council."

"Corruption?" James asks the headmaster.

"We can't automatically assume that James."

"Can't assume?!" Albert blurts outs through the hologram screen. "People are disappearing, Grimm activity is increasing, and there is a rising epidemic! And these people passed it off as if it can't become a major issue! Along with that, some of the members were acting suspicious! How can we not assume the possibility of corruption?!"

"Because we don't have any evidence to prove it." Ozpin answers frantic man. James can be seen crossing his arms through his hologram screen. "He's right Albert. These are nothing but assumptions and speculations. Without evidence, these alone will never prove this. The best way to prove that there is corruption is if the council is caught breaking their own rules."

"Then in that case, allow me to look into the matter and see what I can find." Albert suggests this motion. "Professor Ozpin have future huntsmen and huntresses to teach. And you are handling with the epidemic and disappearances. I'll work behind the scenes and prove you with any information I find."

A moment of silent sets in as both the headmaster and the general takes a moment to think about this suggestion. The two make eye contact with each other before giving a nod. "Alright Albert, we'll allow it." James tells the man.

"But you do realize that you're about to embark on potentially dangerous waters, right?" Ozpin asks the man, being mindful of potential dangers. Albert gives a simple nod, expressing that he made up his mind.

"Then that case, I wish you the best of luck." Ozpin's eyelids begin to feel heavy as a sudden weird tiredness settles into his body. He rubs his eyes with his right hand, feeling an irritable sensation in them as if he hasn't slept in hours. James quickly takes notice of this and decides to conclude this private meeting. "You've just returned from a long trip Oz. It's best that you get some rest. We'll continue this later."

"Very well. Good night gentlemen." Ozpin presses the button on his desk again to cut his communication with the men. Now reclined in his chair, he feels his body relax as he starts to give in to the slumber that beckons him. Before surrendering to sleep, he gazes out the giant glass windows of his office towards the night sky. He stares at the luminous scattered moon that hangs with the dark clouds and stars. Just the sight of the broken moon laying in pieces brings back memories of the previous hunt. The night...when the moon was killed.

* * *

The soothing, gentle sounds of flowing water meets Ozpin's ears with a relaxing melody, gently stirring him from his slumber. Drawn from his slumber, the headmaster slowly opens his eyes to a place that looks nothing like his office. Great volumes of water surrounds him, expanding out for miles. Ozpin's gaze wander the area, seeing nothing but miles and miles of water. With the vast emptiness, greyish white clouds hangs above the massive body of water. Seeming as if a storm is coming about.

"What is this place?" Is the first thought that comes to Ozpin's mind, not showing much of shock as anyone would to finding themselves in such a strange place.

"The moonlit lake..." Answers a sudden elderly sounding male voice that meets Ozpin's ears. "Great volumes of water that services as a bulwark guarding sleep. A lake of dreams, one may say." Ozpin turns around, bringing his attention towards the direction of the elderly voice. Upon turning around, he spots a man sitting in an old fashioned wheelchair. The style of the man's wardrobe seems old fashion, as if a style from another era. Ozpin notices that the man is missing his right foot, seeing a pin-leg in it's place. The man rests both hands on the handle of the cane that he possesses. A cane that appears much like Ozpin's. "It's a pleasure to be able to speak with you, Ozpin." The man greets the headmaster.

Ozpin's expressions lit up with one of shock upon recognizing the identity of the mysterious man. "Gehrman, The First Hunter?" He says the man's name, clearly remembering the old hunter from the hunt. A look of disbelief appearing on his face. "You're...alive? But we freed you from the dream? You should've passed on?"

A small chuckle escapes Gehrman's lips with a grin makes it's appearance. "I too was baffled by this upon my awakening."

"Awakening? But how? Your time was over a millennia ago?"

"That is true. The time I once lived in is long gone. My physical body should have perished a long time ago, but it seems that fate won't let me pass just yet. My hunters, they kept my body alive all these years. Preserving it with the use of the Old Blood. So that when I awake from the dream, I can fulfill my final duty before I can finally pass from this world."

"Final duty?" An eyebrow raises on Ozpin's forehead.

"Opzin, the previous hunt... Do you know why you were there?" The old hunter asks the headmaster.

"Why was I there...?" This particular question Ozpin has asked himself numerous times before, never having the reason to answer it. Even years after the fall of Yharnam, he still couldn't figure out why he felt the immediate urge to travel to the ancient city that night. The night of the hunt. But... He does recall one thing that may have played a part in him embarking for the cursed city. "That...is a question I've been asking myself for years now." The headmaster answers, shifting his gazes up towards the the clouded sky. "I don't know the reason why I felt the need to travel to Yharnam. But I do remember around that time, that I was having these strange dreams. Dreams that I couldn't make rational explanations for."

"I see. What were the dreams about?" Gehrman asks the headmaster.

"I remember that I dreamt about Yharnam. And the unexplainable things that was happening to it. These dreams continued until I decided that I would travel to the city. Thus, getting caught in the hunt. It felt as if I was being drawn there." Ozpin tells the old hunter who listens to him without a word.

"Do you remember the bright light that pulled you into the dream?" Gehrman asks the headmaster, regaining his attention. "Upon taking the role as 'Host of the Dream', I was granted astonishing abilities that were far beyond one's imagination. Bringing one, who hasn't sighed the contract, into the dream is was one of them."

"Bring one into the dream? You're saying the light I saw was you?" Ozpin keeps his usual calm demeanor present, but slightly raises his eyebrow to express his shock. "So that explains why I found myself in the Hunter's Dream. Despite not being covered by the blood contract. Why did you choose to bring me there?"

"The dreams that you spoke of, they were visions. Warnings of what was to come." The old hunter tells him what the dream really were. "Those dreams. You've been having them again recently, have you not?"

Ozpin's calm demeanor begins to change with his growing realization. "The hunt. It's going to happen again, isn't it?"

"Sadly, yes." Gehrman gives his answer with a lowered gaze towards the lake's surface underneath them. "The reason I brought you to the dream, was because the dream...has chosen you."

"Chosen?" Ozpin repeats with an raised eyebrow that appears on his forehead. The look of bewilderment is clearly visible on his expressions as he wonders what the old hunter meant. "What do you mean by 'chosen'? What did it choose me for?"

"To be my successor." Gehrman brings his gaze back up to the headmaster with his reply. "The next Host of the Dream."

"What? The next host?" Ozpin's eyes lit up with more bewilderment behind his glass that hangs on his face. Gehrman already predicted that Ozpin would more than likely react this way to this unexpected news. He knows that this isn't something you can just drop on someone. But given the circumstances and the little time that he has left, he doesn't have time to sugar coat things.

"You and I...are the same, Ozpin." The old hunter's words pulls the headmaster out of his shocked state. "We both are mentors. Those who strive to guild the next generation of hunters. In my time, I've trained, guided, and watched over hunters. The same as you've done for you're hunters, or should I say huntsmen. We are willing to sacrifice ourselves for our hunters, so that they may continue to defend the world from the Nightmare. That...is the kind of host the Hunter's Dream needs. And you have been deemed a suitable candidate."

Ozpin grows silent as contemplating thoughts ramble within his mind. To be honest, he doesn't how to react to this. He has basically been chosen to be Gehrman's replacement for the dream. Ever since the previous hunt that set Yharnam ablaze, Ozpin made himself well knowledgeable about the Hunter's Dream. On one hand, if he accepts the role, he'll be part of the means of Remnant's survival through the hunt. Therefore he should feel honored. But on the other hand, he'll be in the same situation Gehrman was once in. A prisoner of the dream. But he can't deny that it was Gehrman's sacrifice that allowed the hunters to prevent the scourge of the first hunt from plaguing the rest of Remnant.

"Ozpin..." Gehrman regains the headmaster's attention upon calling his name. "I understand that you already have other responsibilities weighing on your shoulders. And I am deeply sorry to burden you with one more. But you see, I've grown too old for this. Of little uses now, I'm afraid. And without the Hunter's Dream, the hunters won't last during the hunt and they'll all be lost to the Nightmare. And the world...will be doomed. And if that happens, then Salem wins."

"Salem..." Just the mention of the witch's name begins to fill Ozpin with conniptions. For the longest, he have had his bouts with Salem and he knows better than anyone at how much damage she can cause. And given the fact that she is striving to plunge the world into a living nightmare, that gives him all the more reason to accept this role. "I'll do it." The headmaster answers with a strong resolve in his voice. "I'll take you're place. I'll become the next Host of the Dream. But first, I want to know how all this happened. The Dream. The hunt. How did all of this came to be?"

"Hmm. How did it all start..." Gehrman repeats to himself as he rises from his wheelchair. The sounds his left foot and pin-leg can be heard touching the water's surface with a intermittent rhythm that coincides with his wobbling walk. "Sadly, I don't know how the first hunt started. So I'm afraid I can't answer that question. But as for the dream, I believe it's best that I show you." With those words, Gehrman turns his back towards the headmaster and lift up his hands. A mist begins to appear around the two, getting thicker and thicker to the point to where it completely clouds their vision. Now, all Ozpin sees is nothing but whiteness around him. He can't even see where Gehrman is.

When the thick, snow white mist finally clears, Ozpin finds himself in an entirely different location. The water's surface that was once underneath the soles of his feet is replace with a solid, cobblestone street. Naturally, Ozpin observes his surroundings, seeing buildings of a town with a Gothic-Victorian architecture. But something about this scenery didn't seem right. The buildings, in fact, the street that he is on is a chaotic mess. Like a tornado of mayhem and carnage have just came through. The buildings seemed to have been damaged in the process. Busted windows litters the buildings and black charred marks are painted on it's wall by scorching flames. The grim scene of human corpses that sprawls lifelessly in the town's blood-covered streets and beastly creatures tied up to burning wooden structures intensifies the already unsettling atmosphere with the mixing nose stinging stench of smoke and blood.

Another thing that Ozpin notices the most is the lack of light. Bringing his gazes towards the sky above, he sees a scene that fills his eyes with hysteria. The moon. It is no longer scattered, it is full again. Like it once was before. But the fact that the celestial body is back to it's usual form isn't what shocked him. It is it's color. The dark red presence of the moon lurks in shadows of the darkness above, shining a crimson light upon the chaotic town.

"The blood moon? This is..." Ozpin stares at the ghastly sky.

"The first hunt... The hunt that set Old Yharnam ablaze." Gehrman tells the dazed headmaster. "The night when the world was first given a glimpse of the Nightmare. The eldritch truth of the world."

"The eldritch truth?"

"The flames refuse to die!" Yells a sudden voice. Drawing their attention towards the direction of the voice, the two men spots two groups of people not far down the street. The attire of one group consists of a matching color of coats, trousers, hats, and black bandannas that masks their face. The former attire for the hunters. And the attire of the second group consists of black rodes with white trimmings. The attire of the once known Healing Church Hunters.

The area around the hunters is set ablaze with raging flames that engulfs nearby buildings. Standing in the midst of this blazing inferno...is Gehrman himself. But this Gehrman appears to be much younger than his older self. This younger Gehrman stands his ground in the midst of the raging inferno that surrounds him. Clinching his signature jagged edged curve sword in his right hand, he uses his left hand to shield his face from the blistering heat of the flames. Due to the sweltering heat and eye stinging smoke, the attempt to get a breath of air in one's lungs became a painful struggle with these hazardous conditions. But the flames and the heat are the least of Gehrman's worries. Right now, the hunter is confronted with someone or something that he had no idea that existed.

In front of him is a giant being that sits on a large pile of burning corpses, melted and fused together into the shape of a gruesome throne chair. This being looks humanoid with the masculine face of a man. Their skin complexion is of a bright red also orange like. Aside it's from hair, multiple large horns grow from the top of their head that twist and tangles with each, some reaching down the being's back. And what looks to be brown fur covers it's waist down to it's knees. Slouching in his make-shift throne of burning corpse while resting his cheek on his right fist, this being looks down at the struggling hunter with a smug smirk. Scarlet red eyes looking upon him with a burning gaze.

"By the gods... How are we to slay such a creature?" Gehrman looks up that the being who he believes is made of hellfire. In a casual manner, the being unleashes a wave of fire towards the hunter with a simple swipe of his left hand. Gehrman's eyes widen with immediate terror, seeing no way that he can escape the blazing heat wave. Without any kind of protection, he receives the full blast of the heat wave, the tremendous force knocking him off his feet. The hunter let's out an outcry of agony as he flails wildly in the middle of the cobblestone street, the merciless flames intending to burn him to ashes.

"Father Hunter!" A hysterical voice shouts out to the man. One of Gehrman's hunters franticly sprints to his rescue, using their hands to vigorously put out the flames. The hunter helps their mentor back on his feet. Clearly seeing that he is to tired and winded to keep fighting. "Find cover to take refuge! We'll draw away it's attention!"

"Gehrman! Take refuge over here!" A man calls out to the first hunter, beckoning him over to a large piece of debris he is hiding behind. This man is around Gehrman's age, appearing to be in the middle age range with salt and pepper hair that reaches down to his neck and a scruffy white bread. His wardrobe, of course, fits the old era that he lives in, with his attire possessing the signature black color of the Healing Church Hunters. His matching garbs consists of a black leather cap that rests on top of his head that looks similar to Gehrman's. Covering his upper body is a black coat with a matching tattered cape that hugs his neck along with a holy white shawl, symbol of the church hunters, hanging down the back of the cape. And matching trousers and boots that finishes the display of the black attire. A sword placed in a large sword-like sheath is strapped firmly to his back. This man...is Ludwig, the first hunter of the Healing Church.

"Make haste! Before it burns again!" Ludwig shouts to the hunter who staggers his way towards the debris. Gehrman grimaces as he attempts to make his way towards Ludwig, still feeing the impact of the heat wave that hit him.

"Get your wrinkly ass in gear Gehrman!" Yells a demanding female voice that sounds very familiar to the first hunter. A sudden hand forcefully garbs Gehrman by his collar and yanks him forward. Upon reaching Ludwig behind the debris to shields them from the burning flames, Gehrman quickly shift his gaze to get a glimpse of the woman. The woman who grabbed him is his former pupil. Lady Maria.

"M-Maria?" Gehrman speaks the woman's voice with a look of surprise.

"Duck your heads!" Maria shouts as she forces Gehrman's head down with Ludwig following suit. Another powerful wave of flames is unleashed from the being, the three hunters all sharing a grimacing expression from the blistering heat as the inferno passes over them, thanks to the debris that protects them. Bloodcurdling screams of agony can be heard of the unfortunate hunters that were caught in the incinerating blast. Immediately after the flames ceased, both Gehrman and Ludwig draw their gazes to the burned, charred corpses of their hunters. This is enough to make the horrific scene wrench at their hearts.

"NO!" Both of the men shout in terror. Maria herself is also stares upon the gruesome scene with a horrified look of her own. The charred corpses showing the ghastly, mind-etching expressions of the hunters when they met their fiery deaths is enough push the Vileblood into a mental frenzy. But due to her strong will, she manages to drag herself back from the brink and refocus on what's happening around her. She averts her gazes from the gruesome scene and draws it towards the blazing being that still sits on his make-shift corpse throne.

Maria glares at the creature while tightening her grip on her Rakuyo, feeling a strong burning sensation from within. A vibe. Knowing about her Vileblood heritage, she has a strong idea why she feels this from the being. At that moment, an idea comes to her mind. _'Since the flame's refusal to cease is becoming a predicament, then perhaps...'_ Maria's mind begins the wander, wondering if her Vileblood traits can somehow contribute in slaying whatever this creature is. She glances at her Rakuyo, a small frown appearing from the sight of the blood weapon. Unlike the regular weapons she'd tried to use before, the weapons of Cainhurst are the only weapons that coincides with her traits. With that thought in mind, she stands to test this idea.

"Maria, wait." Gehrman garbs his former student wrist to prevent her from running off. "What are you...?"

Maria looks down at her former teacher with dull expression. "Unless you desire to become a charred corpse, you'll release me. Gehrman." She says his name in a cold, bitter tone, having resentment toward the hunter for refusing to acknowledge her affection for him. Gehrman can clearly see the look in her sapphire eyes, a look that he is all too familiar with. Being familiar with her headstrong personality, he knows that whatever she plans on doing, she made up her. And there is nothing he can say or do to make her change it. Gehrman loosens his grip on the Vileblood's wrist, allowing it to slip out of his hand. Maria reaches underneath her coat and draw out a blood vial. "Here..." She tosses the vial to him. "Worry about yourself."

With an expression of sorrow and regret, Gehrman doesn't to say another word as he watches the determined woman walk off towards the being surround by an blazing inferno. "Ludwig..." He shifts his attention to the church hunter next to him. "What happened? What did the church do?"

Ludwig's expression scowls when the question is asked. "The church...was deceived." He answers with a hint of rage in his voice. "Lawrence. The Church. They shouldn't have placed their trust in a child. That child...is a beast in human flesh. And when I find him, I'll slain him like beast he shown himself to be." The thought of whoever this _'child'_ that Ludwig speaks of clearly fills him with conniptions.

 _'Child?'_ Gehrman raises an eyebrow of bewilderment.

The fiery being remains slouched in his make-shift throne still wearing a smug smirk, finding amusement in the destruction and death he has caused. The being catches sight of Maria walking up to the base of his throne. As she fearlessly walks, the half-blood takes her twin in both hands before splitting it into two separate blades. She cuts her thumbs on the blades of the Rakuyo, wincing a bit from the pain, while speaking the key phrase for the weapon. "My sword, drink my blood." Answering it's wielder's command, the two blades consume the blood sacrificed to it. Maria's sapphire eyes glows with a scarlet red hue as her weapon sings with the same scarlet hue as he eyes.

The being raises an eyebrow upon seeing the Vileblood gaze up at him upon stopping. His smirk grows to a visible grin when their scarlet red eyes make eye contact. Strongly sensing his own blood flowing through her veins. "What's with the grin? You must something amusing?" Maria remains eye contact this the being that finally rises from his throne, standing at his towering height. Entire body now engulfed in flame, the giant man-like creature grabs the handle of a massive blade that is beside it's make-shift throne, it becoming engulfed in flames as well. Naturally, the female hunter tightens her grip on her blades.

"Maria!" Both Gehrman and Ludwig shout the woman's name as she stand against the giant being. At that very moment, four mysterious individuals clothe in white cloaks enter the chaos. They conjure a glowing chains of white, each one wrapping around the being's leg or arm. The four simultaneously wrench on their glowing chains restraining the being that give a furious inhuman roar while trying to resist them. The mysterious chains of light seems to have an chilling effect on the being, the sight of the flames from it's body dying out. Something that the being fights to return.

Gehrman and Ludwig watches the scene from behind the large debris with astonished expressions. "Those people..." Ludwig begins to speak. Immediately recognizing the white attire that these individuals wear. "They are..."

"Silvered-Eyed Hunters…" Gehrman speaks the identity of these extraordinary people. "If they are here, then that must mean…"

"Vulcanus, the merciless pyreburner." A feminine voice meets the men's ears with a soft tone. The hunters draws their attention to a young woman that walks up next to them. Lengthy black hair with a hint of red down to her shoulders, matching with the snow white complexion of her skin and eyes of silver color. Her young appearance making her easily resemble her descendants in the distant future, Summer and Ruby. Among the silver-eyes, she is the only one with a hooded white cloak that hug around her neck.

"Luci?" Gehrman speaks the woman's name who he is apparently familiar with. Meeting her several times in the past. "You know what this creature is?"

"This 'creature', Sir Gehrman, is what man recognizes as a Great One." The woman named Luci, the first Successor to the Moon, answers her allies question while keeping her gazes fixed on the burning Great One the hunter struggled against.

"What you say certainly can't be true?" Ludwig questions Luci with a tone of disbelief, refusing to believe that the creature is a Great One. "The gods are supposed to be sympathetic in spirit. They aid us in our time of need, not destroy us?"

Luci shifts her gazes over to the church hunter's expression of disbelief. "Not all gods share sympathy for man like the others, Sir Ludwig. Vulcanus is a grim example of that. I have a solution on how to resolve our conflict with the pyreburner. But, we'll need to unite our strength if we hope to save Yharman from it's fiery demise." The two hunters exchange looks with each other, not knowing what the silver-eye has planned. Old Yharman is on the brink of becoming a town char and ash. And given the dire circumstances, they have no other choice but to comply.

"What the bloody…." Are the words that leaves Maria's mouth upon seeing the Silver-eyes fight to keep Vulcanus restrained. The Great One give another furious roar, it's temper growing with each yank and pull it makes against the Silver-Eyed Hunters. Fortunate for the silver-eyes, the extraordinary powers blessed to them by their god, the Moon Presence, allow them to hold against the enraged Great One. But longer for a short time.

"You can sense it, do you?" Comes Luci's voice as she stands next to the Vileblood, pulling her out of her daze. "The sense of connection you feel towards this merciless being. Vulcanus's blood knows it's own. Therefore yearning to reunite as a whole…and ignite into consuming flames once again."

Maria gazes at the woman without giving a reply as her thoughts beginning to wrap around her words. She vaguely remembers how the Vileblood's came about with their _powers_. But she does remember that it involved the Old Blood, the blood of a Great One. _'This creature…'_ Maria shifts her gazes back towards an outraged Vulcanus.

"Lady Maria, is it?" Luci regains the blonde's attention. "I have a solution that will extinguish this raging flame to ash. Like me, you too have the blessed power of the Old Blood in your veins. Therefore I implore you to combine you strength with mine in our efforts to put these flames to rest."

Maria looks at the Successor for a moment for deciding to comply. "How do we die out the flames?"

"I'll give you the instructions. But first…" Luci walks up Vulcanus, receiving a raised eyebrow from the Great One when he notices her. The Successor catches the hunters by utter surprise when she begins speaking to the great One in a tongue that they have never heard before. Vulcanus forms twisted smile on his lips and laughs mockingly at the woman.

A frown appears on Luci's expression. "As expected..."

"What did you say to him? Why is he laughing?" Maria asks the silver-eyed woman.

"He refuses to leave the town is the type of god who doesn't have a shred of sympathy for the weak. He feels that if Yharnam can't survive the hunt, then it should perish by his flames." Luic turns to the hunter. "Here are my instruction."

Vulcanus finally breaks free from the chains that binds and suppress his flames. with his godly merciless Great One falls to his knees, the chilling effect of the chains still lingering in his bones. Getting back on his feet with his massive blade in hand, he catches sight of Gehrman and Maria sprinting towards him, seizing the opportunity to stike while the flames are out. Vulcanus is aware that he is vulnerable without his flames, giving the hunter a real chance the deliever serious damage. Lifting his blade in outrage for being placed in this situation, he brings it down upon the rushing hunters.

"Maria!"

"I know!"

As if sharing the same brain, the former teacher and pupil simultaneuosly evades the massive cleaving blade with their art of quickening. Maria readies both blades of her Rakuyo with Gehrman connecting his jagged edged curved sword to the metal contraption on his back, wieldng his signature sycthe. With flawless chemistry, the two hunterscircle behind their target and cut deep in his calf muscles, pinninh him to his hands and knees.

At that instant, Ludwig attaches his sword with the large sowrd-like steath on his back. Now wielding a greathsword with both hands as he dashes in, he givces out a yell while swinging the blade upwards, striking Vulcanus in the face with a blow that forces his head to snap upward. Leaving the Great One stunned.

"O blade of the crescent moon. I call upon your aid." Luci's soft voice reaches Ludwig's ears. The church hunter turns around only to witness the Successor conjuring pure moonlight at the palm of her hands. Ludwig watches the woman with astonishment as this luminious moonlight proceeds to shape before his very eyes. Eventually taking it's true form in the woman's hands, Ludwig wears a slack-jawed expression upon seeing a glowing greatsword in the woman's hands. The church hunter gazes upon the sword's luminious form with pure astonishment, it's blade seeming to radiate with pure moonlight. Not only is the greatsword glowing, the Successor herself seems to emit that very same glow. Seeming like a godly being. A cold chill begins to fill the night air, bringing a sense of relief the Ludwing's skin since he had to endure the blistering heat of the inferno.

"O flame of the pyreburner..." Luci gives a moonlight glares at her target. "Convert to ash. Taste the chilling wind of death." The Successor throws her Moonlight Greatsword with such strength that it literally zooms through the chilling air and impales Vulcanus in the chest. The Great One gives a cry of pain, feeling a deep freezing growing from it's chest and proceeding to spread to the rest of his body.

Unable to rekindle his fire due to the Successor's power, Vulcanus's body slowly freezes solid while he attemptes to reach of Luci, the clear sign for hatred for the Successor remaining in his eyes until ice completey takes over his body.

"Is it...really dead?" Ludwig ask looks upon a frozen of the Great One that eventually crumbles again. Ludwig is amazed at the sear power the Successor has displayed. But the most of all that captived him was the beauty Luci's Moonlight Greatsword.

"The flames are extinguished, for now. But one day he will return." Luci answers the man. "But for now, we must refocus on the hunt. The night is far from over."

* * *

"Gehrman? Why does this have to do about the Dream?" Ozpin ask the actual Gehrman who watched this event with him.

"You wanted to know how the Dream came to be. By seeing this, it'll help with a better understanding of _this_." Right on que again, the same thick white mist surrounds the two men, the sight of the burning town of Old Yharnam disappearing from sight. Shortly afterwards, the mist clears revealing Gehrman's younger self again but this time he is seen standing with Luci.

"The night just won't end. Yharnam...is done for." Gehrman expresses his despair when looking upon chaotic scenary that is Old Yharnam. "My hunters... They fight so desperately to liderate this town from this madness only to meet a horriable death or to lose themselves to the madness itself. By the gods... Is there anything we can do the end this nightmare?"

Luci looks over to her companion, the look immense sorrow on his face pulling at her heart strings. feeling a great sense of sympathy for him, the hunters, and Yharnam. Little does Gehrman know, the Successor does know a way that the hunters can survive the hunt in order to end it. But she isn't proud of the cost that it takes. "Sir Gehrman..." She grabs the hunter's attention. "I was hestiant to tell you this before, but there is a solution that allows you and hunters to endure the hunt."

"Really?" Gehrman's eyes shoot open with overflowing hope. Seeing this much hope in Gehrnam's eyes only tugged at Luci's heart more, knowing that the solution isn't as good as it sounds. "Yes, but..." She pauses. "It'll come with a great cost. A great sacrifice."

"A sacrifice..." Gehrman's lit up expression begins to change. Luci answers with a nod. "An everlasting contract must be made to establish a safe haven for your hunters. Once that is done, you'll have to give your life, your freedom, so that anyone bound by the contract will be forever protected fro the nightmare."

"But that the cost of my life..."

"You'll be a prisoner to the safe haven. You'll must forever remain there so it doesn't fade."

A moment of silence passes as Gehrman begins to comtemplate in thought. The night has already claimed many of his beloved hunters and most of Old Yharnam. If his sacrifice can end this long, dreadful night thus saving the lives of his hunters, then his mind is already made up. "I'll accept it." He give an answer that shocks the successor. "My hunters. I care about them dearly and deeply. If the cost of my life can save their's, then I'll accept it."

"Are...Are you certain this is waht you want?" The sliver-eye asks him, recieving an firm nod of resolve. A small smile appear on Luci's lips. "You don't find many men like you out in the world. People should be naming you the 'good hunter' beside me."

"So that is how the Dream came to be. That woman, she helped you." Ozpin says while the thick white mist returns, bring the two back to the vast empty lake from before. "That woman, who was she?"

"An old friend of mine who has long passed from this world." Gehrman answers as he remember the first successor to the moon. "As you have wittnessed. The Successor has the capibility to speak with the gods. Able communicate in their inhuman tongue. It's because of her that the hunters were able to forge the contract. She, out of all of us, played a key role in ending the first hunt. We needed her for our survival."

"What do we do about the coming hunt? You said she is no longer with us." Ozpin asks the old hunter.

"She maybe gone from this world. But her legecy remains and lives on through others."

"Others?" An eyebrow raises on Ozpin's forehead.

"Luci was the first Successor to the Moon. The first light of the world. She lit the way for us hunters throught the darkness of the hunt. Now, that role has been passed on to her descendant."

"Her descendant? Who is it?" Ozpin throw another question, eagered to know the identity of the person Gehrman speaks of.

"You've already taken her into your care, rather you know it or not. A young girl with silver eyes." Gehrman gives a vague description of the person in question. Even though this isn't much to give a cleary picture to describe the person, somehow just those small, but vague, details gives Ozpin an idea on who this person is.

 _'A young girl with silver eyes. Can it be...?'_ "Gehrman, from you first hand experience, what else do you know about this 'Successor to the Moon'?" Ozpin immediately throws another question.

A small grin forms on the old hunter's lips, clearly seeing Ozpin's thrist for knowledge about the subject. "I'll educate you what you want to know about the successor. But first..." Once again, the same thick white mist appear around the two. Nothing appears from the mist like the first two times this has happened. The vast emptyness of their surrounds remains the way it is, but this time, the water's surface underneath Ozpin's feet is suddenly replaced with a solid ground. "Where are we now?" The headmeaster throws the question while his eyes wander.

"This...is a glimpse of the Hunter's Dream. As it is now." Gehrman answers his question. Ozpin shifts his gaze back to the old hunter with an raised eyebrow of confusion. "This is the Hunter's Dream? What do you mean by 'As it is now'?"

"As you can see, the Dream is empty. Nothing but a vast void." Gehrman tells the headmaster whose gaze continue to wander. "If you're wondering what happened to the workshop. It's gone. Since I'm no longer in the dream, that Hunter's Dream no longer exist." Ozpin looks back towards the old hunter as he listens. "The dream takes the form of the place that it's host considers a haven for their hunters. My dream was the workshop. Where I've molded and mentored my hunters. Think Ozpin. What place in your mind do you consider a haven for your hunters to mold and grow? Once you've found it, concentrate your thoughts on that particular haven."

 _'A haven for my huntsmen?'_ Ozpin thinks before following Gehrman's instructions. The headmaster closes his eyes, focusing on the one place in his mind that he considers to be a place of learning and growth for huntsmen. Gehrman sees their surrounding reacting to Ozpin's thoughts. The thick mist around them begins to part, revealing what Gehrman was going for. "You've done well Ozpin. Now open your eyes...and see _your_ dream.

The headmaster opens his eyes only to catch sight of a scenary that filled him with astonishment. "This is..."

"As I said before, the workshop was _my_ dream when I was the host. Ozpin, this is a glimpse of the new Hunter's Dream. Your dream." The old hunter tells the headmaster who is still in shock.

"It's...Beacon"

* * *

Ruby slowly opens her eyes to find herself standing in the middle of a dark street with no recollection of where she is or how she got there. "Where...am I?" Her silver eyes wander around her surrounds, quickly noticing dark buildings that are around her. She quickly realizes that she is standing in the middle of a town, or at least she thinks it's a town. "Hello?" She shouts out with hopes of getting an answer which she only recieved the echoing of her own voice.

The shear emptyness and silence of the town that she woke up in immediately give he an eeire feeling. There are no signs of life anywhere to be seen nor any source of light. She can see street lights on the side of the street but none of them were lit. No lights are on in any of the buildings to indicating that someone beside her is in the town. The dark sky above is also voided of any light. No Sun nor moonlight to shine upon the town. Complete and total darkness.

"Is this another weird dream? When did I fall asleep? Last thing I remember is searching for Blake with the others." Ruby thoughts begin to ramble in her head.

"Are you lost little girl?" Comes a sudden male voice which cause Ruby to jump as her eyes dart around wildly. "H-Hello? Is someone there?" She asks the mysterious voice.

"Tell me little girl. Does the dark frighten you?" The voice asks another question. Bewildering Ruby as to why they are asking her these questions. "The dark? Um...no?" Shortly after her answer she begins to hear a deep chuckle from the disembodied voice. The silver-eye girl begins to notice that the darkness around her starts to grow. As if it's a living thing. "Well it should. Because the dark can be too much for a little night light like yourself." The voice replies in a mocking tone. The darkness start to close in on Ruby. She backs away from the shadows that inches towards her, engulfing anything it touches. Terrified, the silver-eyed girl turns tail and runs for it. Sprinting down the dark empty street, Ruby gazes behind her to see the dark shadows chasing after her, getting closer inch by inch. What terrifies her the most is how pitch black the darkness. It like shes being chases by an ever expanding void. "Hahaha! Yes! RunI Run! RUN!" Comes the pychotic luaghs of the disembodied voice.

"Ruby" Comes a female's voice that calls out to her. Just ahead of her, she sees a glimmer of light through the darkness of the street. But at the same time, she also sees the darkness closing in all arounnd her from the corner of her eyes. Ruby kicks her running into anothe gear, using her semblance to outrun the darkness as she races towards the light. The dak, apparently, is still able to keep up with her, still inching closer. Widen eyes filled with terror, Ruby reaches her hand out desperately for the light. She can feel the errie cold breath on the dark breathing down her neck as it approaches her from behind, ready to snatch her at any moment.

Lucky for Ruby, she makes it to the light. She runs full force thought the light, stumbling into a vast, empty place surrounded by water. The place she has been to before and her dreams. Sweat rolling down her pale cheeks while panting heavily with her hands on her knees, Ruby tries to catch her breath. Her body still shivering from the terror she just barely managed to escape from.

"Ruby" The soft female voice meets her ears again, but much closer this time. Quickly drawing her attention towards the source of the voice, she sees a familiar face that causes a look of ity e surprise and disbelief.

Standing a few feet away from the girl is her mother, Summer Rose. "You really have grown." Summer greets her daughter with a motherly smile.

"M...Mom?" Ruby says her mother's name, still wearing a look of disbelief. Her mother has been dead for 10 years. And here she is standing in front of her with a motherly smile. Ruby feels that she shouldn't believe this to be real. For all she knows, this could be part of her dream. But when she thinks about it, she has heard her mother's voice a few times when she was awake. Right now, she doesn't know what to think.

"Mom? Is that really you?"

Summer answers Ruby's question by holding out her right hand, gesturing Ruby to touch her. Ruby reaches out for her mother, walking slowly towards her on the water's surface. Ruby gives an gasp of astonishment upon her fingertips touching the palm of Summer's hand. The silver-eyes girl looks up at the woman with a dumbfound expression, tears stinging her eyes as they overflow.

"See? I'm real." Summer says with a smile. Ruby can't hold it in anymore. Giving in to the overflow of emotions, Ruby tackles her mother a heart-filled hug. This sudden action catches Summer by surprise at first, but naturally, she returns with a motherly hug.

"I missed you so much..." Ruby tightens her hug around her mother's waist, tears streaming down her cheeks. "Mom..." Summer tightens her hug around her daughter as she holds her close, savoring every second of the moment her heart longed for. "I missed you too. I've waited for the moment to see you again..." Tears start to build from Summer's eyes as well. "Ruby Rose. My child..."

"Mom..." Ruby gazes up at her mother again. "A lot of weird things have been happening to me lately. Please tell me you know what's going on." Summer's slowly faded upon hearing this question, knowing exactly why her daughter is experiencing things she has. "Ruby..." She begins. "There is a lot we need talk about?"

* * *

 **AN: Thanks for reading. I'll post the next chapters in September. If there is something that you liked it found interesting in the chapter, please leave a comment. I'll see you guys after two months of training. This is Chronicles calling is chapter a wrap.**


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